


Smoke and Mirrors

by risokura



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, F/F, Murder Mystery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25729099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risokura/pseuds/risokura
Summary: After stumbling through the years under the oppressive thumb of her uncle, Edelgard seeks to find something lost in the ashes of her past in Garreg Mach. Byleth was just a product of pure happenstance. AU.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 59





	1. Moonjock

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, my. Finally sat down and committed to writing this. I’ve been toying around with this idea for a year and finally found the inspiration to continue it. First time writing Edelgard/Byleth.

_Smoke and Mirrors_

**I: Moonjock**

* * *

As the boat neared the shore of the island, Edelgard couldn’t see much beyond the horizon but blazing, hot, white sand.

The pale red parasol that protected her from the early summer sun almost gave way as a salty sea breeze caught her off guard. She instinctively clutched the parasol and brought it down to cover her face again. When the wind died down, Edelgard brought the parasol upright again to gaze at the land that was coming into view.

Garreg Mach, a floating hunk of… what had Hubert called it before? _Nothing_? Was it really as inconsequential as he had her to believe? There was the continent of Faerghus to the west, Leicester to the north, and the Adrestrian continent, her home, to the southeast. In the heart of Fodlan sat the small island of Garreg Mach ….population … barely over two hundred thousand the last time she checked. Most people came to the island to retire or to lose themselves against the flow of time. For her, this island would be her final resting place, she knew that much. _What was she waiting for? Whom was she waiting on?_

A ringing bell caught her attention and she turned away from her view of the distant shoreline as the captain came over the boat’s announcement system. _We will soon be arriving at the Monastery, please return to your seats and prepare for departure. I repeat we will soon be arriving at the Monastery… please…_

Edelgard closed her parasol as she advanced toward the main cabin of the boat and pushed the heavy double doors open. A rush of cool air greeted her and calmed her pale skin, which had been prickling with perspiration from the humidity of the summer heat. She dabbed at her forehead with her handkerchief as she walked through the cabin in search of Hubert. She thought she heard whispers, her name leaving the lips of people she didn’t know, nor cared to give her attention to. Was she that noticeable?

Hubert was currently sitting in a crook near the back, obscured by columns that blocked him from view of most people that passed through the cabin. _Discretion_ , she thought as she moved toward him and sat in the seat that was opposite him. He immediately pulled his attention away from the book that he was perusing and lifted a curious eyebrow in her direction.

“Was the view satisfactory?” He probed.

Edelgard rested her parasol in the space between her thigh and the wall and folded her hands in her lap, “It was fine.”

“Was it as you remember?”

Edelgard tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and gazed out the window to their side as the boat slowly pulled into the dock, “My memories are hazy… I suppose it will suffice for now. Have you contacted my mother?” She asked, as she relaxed into the chair.

“She is awaiting us at the dock.” Hubert answered as he reached into his pocket and checked his cell phone, “Are you ready to see her?”

“It has been some time, hasn’t it?” Edelgard pondered as she turned to look back at Hubert, “Do you think she will even remember what I look like?”

“I’m sure your uncle has kept her abreast of _developments_. It would be in his best interest to, I suppose.” Hubert commented dourly as he closed his thumb on his book and looked down to check his watch, “Come, we should head for the gate if we wish to depart ahead of the common rabble.”

Edelgard nodded wordlessly, grabbed her parasol, and reached for her black handbag that Hubert had so dutifully kept watch over as she had been exploring the ship. She allowed him to lead the way through the throng of people that were currently gathering in the aisles and making their way to the departure gate. She kept her head bowed, falling in step behind him as to block her view of what lay ahead of her. _What lies ahead of me, s_ he silently mused to herself as her skin once again prickled and she held her parasol over her head again to block out the insufferable sun.

* * *

The dock was noisy and boisterous. There were children running along to greet fathers who had finally returned home from months at sea. Their mother’s waited patiently behind them, holding composure while they allowed their children to act in reckless excitement. Groups of friends congregated together, seemingly lost as to where they were going. Tourists always had that lost dog look about them as they struggled to find their grounding in a new place. There were of course, the solo stragglers, people who were here on business that only they were concerned with. Edelgard glanced about in the crowd; obscuring her face once again with her parasol and wondered which group she fell into? Would someone consider this a reunion with her own family? Hardly.

Hubert signaled to her and she glanced in the direction he was pointing in. There her mother was, the same as she had remembered her. A refined, slender woman with the same purple eyes and long brown hair that Edelgard had possessed in her childhood. People always told her she looked like her mother, while she vehemently disagreed. Maybe the eyes, nothing more. At her mother’s side was a taller gentleman with blond and graying hair, piercing blue eyes, her stepfather, Lambert. It had been some time since she had last seen them, but they remained the same in her mind’s eye. With Hubert’s lead, they pushed their way through the throng of people with their luggage.

Her mother was the first to speak when Edelgard appeared before her. “How enthralled I am to see my darling daughter again, I have missed you so much.”

“Mother.” Edelgard began, albeit with an awkward pause of hesitance, “It is good to see you again as well. It has been some time…” She trailed off and turned to Lambert, “Lambert, I would like to graciously thank you for hosting us for this summer … I … apologize for the last minute arrangements …”

Lambert waved a hand nonchalantly, “Not at all. It is good to see you again and have you with us again. It has been too long, Edelgard… why …” He turned to Patricia, “…. Six? Eight years?” He asked.

“She was sixteen the last time she came to see us. It’s almost been eight years, Edelgard.” Patricia chided as she placed her hands on her hips, “A long time for a mother to be away from her only daughter.”

“Once again, I apologize for my tardiness.” Edelgard gave a curt nod and glanced at Hubert as if to say— _help me out here_.

Hubert nodded, “I apologize as well. Perhaps, I too have been negligent in my duties in making sure Edelgard looks after herself. For studying and working hard is all well and good, but one mustn’t neglect familial relations as well. Those _too_ are important.” He bowed as well to Patricia and Lambert and then glanced at Edelgard to see if his interjection had sufficed. She thanked him in her head, praying that he could hear it. Even through the years of proper etiquette that had been beaten into her, she was still the same awkward Edelgard when it came to social interaction.

Lambert smiled softly, “Now, now, there is no need for such formalities, you two. We know Edelgard has been working hard to assume the mantel of her father’s legacy. A weighty crown to bear, am I right?”

“Perhaps.” Patricia mused. Her frown turned into a smile as well, “I am just glad you’re here. Come; let’s return to the car. It’s much too hot out here and I feel the sun is starting to burn through this chiffon.”

Patricia and Lambert entered the car at first and Edelgard and Hubert soon followed suit. The car pushed its way past the docks and through the heart of the southern tip of the island. Edelgard tried to keep her composure long enough to answer her mother and stepfather’s questions. It was idle chitchat, light banter to fill the silence in a room of strangers. She may have been sitting with mother and stepfather, but … they were essentially strangers. The closest person in her life was sitting next to her—Hubert—that is who came to mind when she thought of family … _real_ family.

Her mother prattled on about her latest interior design revisions. Not like Edelgard had a clue as to what she was talking about, it had been years since she had been to her stepfather’s estate. Lambert merely commented where he was meant to, saying that her mother had an eye for design. Edelgard responded politely, assuring her mother that her revisions were probably beautiful and that she couldn’t wait to see them. Hubert’s throat clearing to her left almost made her chuckle, he always could see through her lies.

In return they asked her how her _break_ had been. Ah, her break. Yes. She cleared her throat and told them that things were going well. She was managing things. This trip to Garreg Mach was the last bit of relaxation that she needed before she was to return to her uncle’s side in Enbarr. Truly, things were all right. Yes. …. _Yes._

When the city began to give way to a sprawling countryside, Edelgard knew that they were close and she wouldn’t have to keep up this exhausting conversation any longer. The car jerked and came to a stop in front of a large gate and sped through a winding driveway up to what most would liken to a castle. The compound was as she remembered—large, domineering, reeking of wealth. She had almost forgotten how extravagant her stepfather’s estate had been.

Edelgard scoffed to herself as she stared it down. It been years since she stepped foot on this soil and for some reason it didn’t faze her in the least. If this building was seeking to intimidate her, it was doing the very least. Hubert appeared at her side, seemingly appraising the building as she had done. He looked down at her and she thought she saw a slight sneer come to his features.

“My, this put’s your uncle’s pitiful estate to shame, now doesn't it?” Hubert whispered to her.

Edelgard sighed, “This is what wealth will get you. Gaudy, at best.”

Their banter was cut short by Patricia calling to Edelgard and telling her to come inside for some refreshments. Lambert disappeared ahead of them to go take care of something. Hubert gestured ahead of him and Edelgard followed her mother inside. She relinquished her possessions to a servant who greeted them at the door and followed her mother through the winding corridors of the house to a rather large sitting area. Patricia instructed Edelgard to have a seat and that she would be back with some tea in just a moment. Hubert took to surveying the rather large living room and while muttering something to himself.

The door to their left opened and Edelgard heard Lambert’s curt tone of voice telling someone that it was impolite to hide when they had guests. Something about Edelgard, not seeing her for years, she doesn't care… and something… something … she couldn’t hear the last bit. Edelgard glanced toward Lambert coming back into view and saw an old face that she hadn’t seen in quite a few years. Her stepbrother, Dimitri. But something was different about him… something was … off.

Dimitri stumbled into the room, his head bowed. He didn’t appear to what to make eye contact with anyone and immediately shuffled into one of the chairs farthest from Edelgard. He mumbled something, but she didn’t quite catch what it was that he said.

Edelgard leaned forward and tilted her head to the side, “…Dimitri. It is a pleasure to see you again. How have you been?”

He glanced at her for a minute and then turned away, “Fine.”

She caught sight of him for a brief minute and took in his disheveled appearance. Blond hair that hung in every which way all over his face, it looked like he hadn’t bathed in days. Although the hoodie he wore obscured his body from view, his face was gaunt—as if he hadn’t eaten in days. What was more peculiar was the eye patch covering his right eye. Had he injured himself recently? Edelgard raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Of course, he was different, she hadn’t expected him to stay the same in these past few years. But, something was … off. This wasn’t the self-righteous boy that she had known since she was seven years old. What had happened to him since she had last been to Garreg Mach?

Edelgard smiled softly. That’s all she really could do. “Well… that’s good.”

Dimitri wordlessly sunk back into the chair and muttered, “So, you’re here for the summer?”

“Yes.” Edelgard answered, “I hope I am not intruding.”

Dimitri shrugged nonchalantly, “Doesn’t concern me.”

Lambert looked like he was about to interject, but Patricia came sauntering back in with a tray of tea and a smile on her face. She gestured for everyone to help themselves, “It’s El’s favorite. Bergamont.”

Edelgard startled at the thought that her mother would remember such a minute detail about her, “Oh… thank you, mother.”

Patricia nodded in return and helped herself to a cup of tea. Lambert choose to continue the conversation, “So, Edelgard. Do you have any plans while you’re here?”

Edelgard brought her cup of tea to her lips and sipped gingerly. It tasted like heaven. She set her cup back down as she began shaking her head, “Not exactly. My… doctors … have proposed that I take it easy while I am here. They think the calming nature and laid-back atmosphere of Garreg Mach will help with my …condition. I think … they are right to some degree.”

Lambert nodded along and then turned to Patricia. Perhaps, they too, were running out of things to talk about, “Perhaps you and Dimitri can spend some time together. It has been a long time after all.”

“I would enjoy that.” Edelgard began, “If… Dimitri would indulge me.”

She could have sworn she saw Dimitri roll his eyes at her formality and he sunk lower in his seat to stare at the ceiling. Why, if he wasn’t acting like a petulant teenager, “Yeah… sure.” He answered noncommittally and didn’t even bother to make eye contact with her.

“Of course, I don’t wish to intrude.”

“Of _course_ you don’t.” Dimitri muttered.

Edelgard cleared her throat and sipped her tea again. Patricia chose to interject into the conversation, “Edelgard, what do you think of the new upholstery of the couches? I thought a lighter shade would do us some good.” Here we go, a descent into gibberish.

Edelgard perked up, “Oh, they’re lovely. Forgive me, I cannot remember what they looked like the last time I was here…”

Patricia continued, “Oh, they were so drab. Everything was just so drab. I felt like a little bit of crème would liven things up for the summer.” She nodded and turned to Lambert, “Isn’t that so?”

“I let her do as she pleases. If Patricia thinks the house needs something different, who am I to argue?” Lambert chuckled.

Hubert seemed to be hiding a smirk behind his own cup of tea, “Why, I do agree with Edelgard, the house is simply lovely.”

Patricia cleared her throat, “Yes, so.” She glanced toward Lambert, “Please do enjoy the tea and relax. Edelgard, I have prepared your old room in the west wing… and Hubert, I have arranged for you to stay in the guest’s quarter. It’s not too far from Edelgard’s room.” 

“Why thank you, Patricia.” Hubert said as he set his teacup on the tray in front of him. Perhaps a silent signaling to Edelgard that they should make haste on those relaxation orders from her mother.

Edelgard nodded again and finished her tea as well. She stood up and glanced from Lambert, to her mother, and lastly to Dimitri who seemed to be growing all the more disinterested by the minute, “Perhaps I will retire to my quarters and freshen up for a bit. I am a bit tired from our trip …”

Patricia nodded, “Please take your time.”

* * *

Edelgard was resisting the urge to scream as she and Hubert nearly raced out of the sitting room and made their way to their respective rooms. Although it had been some time since she last walked these halls, she was able to find her room with little to no trouble. She found her belongings placed in view; ready for her to unpack when she was ready.

She nearly slammed the door behind them and knocked her head backward on the dark oak frame. A low sigh escaped her lips. When they were finally out of ear shot of the others, Hubert glanced about him and lowered his voice, “ _What_ in _Seiros’_ name was that travesty?”

“I don’t know.” Edelgard sighed, “…Everything was so … so very …”

“Forced? Awkward? Perplexing? Lumbersome?” Hubert tried, “Please, stop me before I run out of synonyms.”

“Mother and Lambert were trying their best.” Edelgard countered, “Dimitri… Dimitri was so strange, so unkempt. I do not remember him to ever be so. Perhaps more is happening here than I realize.”

“More than they realize as well.” Hubert reminded her.

“Yes, so.” Edelgard replied, “There are other things on my mind. Have you been keeping an eye on the news since we’ve arrived?”

“Why, of course.” Hubert procured his phone and scanned it for a moment, “Your grand return to civilization has been noted by less than worthy news sources. As I suspected it would.”

“I doubt I will be bothered out here like I am in Enbarr.” Edelgard remarked, “Still, I realize I should use discretion in my outings. I am not ready to return to the public eye as I once was…”

“Nor should you force yourself to.” Hubert subtlety encouraged.

“Has Volkhard contacted you?” Edelgard asked as she took a seat in a chair close to the window.

“No more than the usual formalities.” Hubert answered.

“I suppose all is well for now then.” Edelgard mused to no one but herself, even though Hubert stood poised to engage her in discourse if she needed. She looked at him, “You know what I must do here, as well as I. I have no fear regarding my chosen course of action… I just wish to know if you still stand with me as well.”

Hubert bowed his head to her, “Edelgard, I have long stood at your side and will do more than of what you ask. As always, I am yours.”

Edelgard nodded, “I know that. …You are the only person in this world that I trust… even though I question your methodology at times. I have grown tired of waiting in the shadows. If there is a time that is as good as any… it is now.”

Hubert walked over to where she was sitting and crossed his arms behind his back, “Do you know where we will even begin?”

“Perhaps, it would do well to familiarize ourselves with the island first. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here… I should engage with the locals. Make myself known… scarcely as possible, of course. But, _known_ , nonetheless.” Edelgard started. She looked up at Hubert, “I will trust you to do your part as well. At times, I may lack tact. You have a more … straightforward manner with things.”

“Straightforward?” Hubert questioned, an unsettling exuberance in his voice.

“I know no other way to put it.” Edelgard responded, “Perhaps, tomorrow. We shall go to market and see what we can find here.”

“I suppose I shall take my leave then. We have been travelling all day. You should take your mother up on her earlier suggestion and rest. Get your bearings.” Hubert turned away and made way for the door of Edelgard’s room, “Is that sufficient?”

“Yes.” Edelgard replied, “If I should need you…”

“I will be there.” Hubert nodded again, “Rest well, Edelgard.”

And with that, she was alone. Edelgard sighed and allowed herself to slouch back in the chair in a moments reprieve. It had been three months since she had been in the outside world. What had changed since then? Her state of mind, of course, but what else? How long would it take for her to accomplish her goal? How long would it take before Garreg Mach laid itself open to her and she was able to find what she sought on this island? Who knew if what she was looking for even lay in reach?

Her gamble was a fool’s game and she was surprised that Hubert had even dare indulge the thought that she could find what it was that she was seeking. Yet, the world was mysterious in ways that she hadn’t fathomed and she knew she wasn’t crazy to pursue her current endeavors. She stood in front of the mirror and gazed at herself for a moment. In three small snaps, she loosened the buttons of her dress and let it fall to the floor as she gazed at herself standing there, bear to the world. Undress the world as she had done to herself.

She kicked the offending garment to the side and sighed. The crazy thoughts were coming back again and she needed to rest if she wanted to stave them off for another day. Hubert had said they weren’t crazy, just dissonance in her brain that she had to work through. Oh, how he _did_ take care of her. She loosened the pins that she had stuffed through her hair and took to collapsing on her bed. Perhaps, it was time she did take a rest.

* * *

Byleth took a sip of her coffee and stared off into the early dawn.

The ocean breeze was salty and fresh, a wonderful start to another day. She checked her watch briefly, almost six in the morning. She would have to get down to market soon so she could haul her share of wares to pitch to eager customers. They always said she had the freshest fish in town, she would hate to disappoint if only for one day.

Pushing two fingers into her mouth she whistled across the beach for the dog that was currently running along the length of the beach. Sothis turned in response, barked happily at Byleth and came running back toward her master. Byleth smiled gingerly down at the dog, and started back for their house—the cozy seaside shack that she had called home since … well, since she could remember.

She pushed the door open for Sothis and the small dog entered the house before her. Byleth set her empty coffee mug down in the sink and turned to look over her shoulder at her father who was currently passed out on the couch. Probably another late night at Alois’ pub. Jeralt grumbled in his sleep and turned over as Byleth slowly crossed the length of the small living space and pulled the patchy quilt up over his shoulders. She would check in with him when she got back that afternoon to prepare for her evening shift at the coffee shop. After checking the time one last time, Byleth filled Sothis’ food and water bowl, quickly ruffled the small dog’s head, and made way for the car parked outside so she could start the long, winding drive into town.

The drive was quiet as it always was. She enjoyed the silence for what it was, always true. Byleth idly flipped through the radio stations to see if anything noteworthy was on the news. Everyone seemed to be abuzz about this Edelgard person being seen on the island. Never one to pay too much attention to what she needed, Byleth shrugged and shut the radio off when she realized it was the usual garbage that the news loved to latch onto.

She arrived in the market just as the usual stalls were starting to pile in. Byleth gave everyone her silent greetings as she always did and set about setting up so she could get ready to meet the morning rush. Flayn, the young girl that ran the fruit stalls with her father Seteth, called out cheerily to Byleth and smiled gingerly at her, “Morning Byleth! Do you have any Fodlandy today? Father was smitten with the last batch that you sold to him last week. They were so good!”

Byleth smiled warmly in return and shook her head, “They’ve been a little fickle as of late.”

“Oh, I see. Well… what about Teutates Pike? I could go for a nice fish fry with some of the mangoes we’ve been growing as of late. Sounds delicious, don’t you think?”

“Of course.” Byleth responded as she poured some ice out into the baskets she had placed on the table, “They’re in high demand right now, so …” She kicked open the cooler at her side and bagged up three on the spot before pushing the package into Flayn’s hands, “Some of the best for my favorite customer.”

Flayn giggled as she accepted the fish from Byleth. She reached around the table to gather her bag for payment but Byleth silently shook her head, “Oh, I couldn’t. Father would scold me if he knew.”

Byleth smiled, “Then, don’t tell him.”

Flayn nodded again, “Thanks, Byleth.” She ran back over to the fruit stalls to finishing arranging her wares and Byleth returned to her side of the market as well.

The market proceeded in typical fashion. Her usual customers came through and ordered the same fish as they always did. In this little corner of Garreg Mach it was rare to see new faces at the market, unless it was tourist season. As such, summer had just begun, so she knew that was likely to change in the coming weeks. As noon approached, a familiar face graced her stall with his usual charismatic grin and iced coffee in hand. Byleth graciously accepted the coffee and greeted Claude with the same amount of emotion that she reserved for just about everyone.

“How’s the day going?” Claude asked, gesturing to the busy market around them, “Need help?”

“Do I ever? Byleth asked as she bagged up some fish and accepted payment for another customer, “Why aren’t you at the café?”

“Working with you tonight.” Claude said, “Switched shifts with Mercedes today. Something about book club or something. I don’t know.”

“Sounds nice.” Byleth commented airily.

“What? Aren’t you stoked to be working with this handsome face tonight?” Claude asked as he rounded around the stall and took a seat in the back, “You know it’s always a good tip night when you’re working with me.”

“Hm.” Byleth responded, “I suppose so.”

“Yeah…” Claude lounged back in the chair and gestured to the fish with his coffee cup laden hand, “You always lug all this stuff here by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t your dad help you at all?” Claude questioned.

“He’s busy.” Byleth responded. Busy. Yes. Busy drinking as always.

“I see…” Claude started, “Well… you hear the news? Seems like we have a celebrity on Garreg Mach.”

“Is that all anyone can talk about?” Byleth asked. She wasn’t quite perturbed, she just didn’t seem to understand everyone’s obsession with this Edelgard character that had seemingly popped up overnight and driven the whole island into a tizzy. “The news was talking about it nonstop as well.”

“You don’t get out much so I don’t expect you to know who she is.” Claude took a sip of his coffee.

“Well, enlighten me.” Byleth took a sip of her own coffee now that the rush had died down a bit as well.

Claude grinned and shrugged, “Can’t. Don’t know much about her either. She’s rich. So there’s that.”

“Interesting.” Byleth replied, “That’s all?”

“Eh, I’ll do my research.” Claude chuckled, “Just wanted to mess around with you a bit. You’re always so serious.”

Byleth turned away from Claude, “Hold that thought, I have another customer.” She sat her coffee cup down and leanded forward, “Hello, how may I help you?”

The woman that approached her stall was … odd. Must be her first tourist of the season. Too pale for the Garreg Mach sun, she adjusted the parasol over her head and leaned forward to observe the fish before her. She looked back up at Byleth and then turned to the equally strange man that towered over her shoulder. He said something to the woman and then she nodded. The woman readjusted her parasol and stepped forward under the stall’s awning, “Hello, may I inquire about your fish for sale?”

“What are you looking for?” Byleth questioned. She thought she heard Claude make a noise behind her and chose to ignore him for the time being. She was in business mode.

“Would you happen to possess Goddess Messenger?” The woman asked her.

Byleth shook her head. What an oddly formal speech pattern she … possessed. “I’m sorry. We’re sold out for the day. I do have some Bullhead if you’re interested in that.”

The woman turned back to the towering man and said, “Hubert, do you think mother would enjoy Bullhead for dinner tonight?”

“I’m sure she would be pleased with whatever you bring her, Edelgard.” He turned a scrutinizing eye toward Byleth, “I hear this fish stall is the best in the market. Perhaps we will have to come earlier next to peruse more of her wares.”

“Yes, indeed. Let’s.” The woman, Edelgard, nodded her head in agreement, “Might I pester you for a minute? What time do the stalls usually begin their selling?”

Byleth cocked her head to the side. These people are _strange_. “We open at 7AM during the week, 9AM on the weekends. I’m here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.” She looked toward the towering man that Edelgard had referred to as Hubert, “But as he said, its probably best if you get here early. The best fish do tend to go faster than the others.”

“I see.” Edelgard remarked, “Well, then. I’ll take the rest of your Bullhead’s batch. Thank you.” She reached into her bag and opened her wallet, “Do you take card?”

“Uhm…” Byleth could have sworn she heard Claude snickering at that point, “I’m sorry, the market only accepts cash payments.”

Edelgard looked at Hubert and he reached into his back pocket, “No matter. I will cover this expense.” He deposited the proper amount on the stall counter and stepped back.

“My apologies.” Edelgard bowed her head and put her wallet away.

“No worries.” Byleth replied, as she set about bagging up the fish and handing it over to Edelgard, “Please enjoy and do come again.”

“Yes, thank you. We will have to come early next time.” Edelgard gave her a curt nod, “May I ask for your name?”

“Byleth.” Byleth answered.

Edelgard glanced at Hubert who seemed to give her a silent nod of approval and then nodded, “Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Byleth. I am Edelgard. I’m currently here visiting my mother for the summer. Please forgive me; I’m not familiar with many aspects of this island yet… I’m just getting my bearings.”

“Well, welcome to Garreg Mach.” Byleth nodded again.

“Thank you, Byleth.” Edelgard paused as she adjusted her parasol and seemed to be struggling with getting it open. Hubert took it from her and opened it up for her and she looked like she wanted to sigh in exasperation, “I will see you.”

“Take care.” Byleth said, unsure as to why this woman was taking so long to leave the stall. Claude’s snickering was audible now.

“Yes, you too. Thank you again for the delicious fish. I will have to let you know how the dish my mother’s chef prepares will be.” Edelgard replied.

“I’ll be happy to hear how it turns out.” Byleth nodded.

“Yes, I will be happy to let you know.”

Hubert cleared his throat and startled Edelgard out of her next round of extended niceties, “We must be on our way.” He stated curtly. 

“Yes, of course.” Edelgard gave another curt nod and grasped her parasol in her hand and let Hubert lead her away from the stall.

Byleth watched as the two of them disappeared into the crowds and turned back to Claude with her coffee in hand, “…Well, that was strange.”

Claude let loose a round of raucous laughter and gestured with an empty coffee cup in hand to Edelgard’s fading silhouette, “That was her, By. That was Edelgard.”

“…Who?” Byleth asked.

“The girl that everyone keeps talking about. Your new customer.” He gestured again, “That was _that_ Edelgard. You’re not _that_ oblivious are you? How many people around here do you know with a name as strange as that?”

Byleth turned back to the crowds and shrugged, “Well… seemed nice. If not a little odd.” She turned back to Claude, “I’m going to pack up soon. Will you help me start taking things down?”

Claude nodded, “Yeah, sure. I’m at your command.”

Byleth set her cup down and took one last look toward the crowd before she bent down and hoisted a cooler up onto the counter to start her dismantling procedures. She sold enough for today and she had to get home anyway to check in on Jeralt.

Claude continued his usual banter as they took the stand down and put away the remaining fish. She would sneak a few more Flayn’s way when Seteth wasn’t looking. Claude bid her farewell until it was time for their shift and she set about on her way back home.

For her, it was just another day in Garreg Mach.

For now.


	2. Hornett

_Smoke and Mirrors_

**II: Hornett**

* * *

Edelgard awoke early the next morning when the birds were just starting to begin their song. It was silent in the house, something that she welcomed. A moment’s reprieve before she would have to begin the day and be greeted with the incessant chatter of the public. How cumbersome. She checked the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was just past six. Still early enough for her to check in with the other person she almost trusted with her life, Dorothea.

Making herself somewhat presentable, she leaned over the side of her bed for where she had discarded her laptop last night and opened up the video chat application. It took a moment before Dorothea’s image flickered to life on the screen before her. The girl on the other end was all smiles when the line finally cleared and the blurriness dissipated from her screen.

“Edie!” Dorothea chimed, “What a surprise to see your pretty face on my screen before I settle in for the night. What’s eating, ya?”

Edelgard winced at the sound of Dorothea’s loud and boisterous voice and pushed the volume key down on her laptop, “I’m just waking up. I figure with Enbarr’s time difference and all, now would probably be an appropriate time to talk to you. How are you?”

“I’m great! We just finished our last show of the season tonight. You should have seen me, I brought everyone to the brink of tears with my performance.” Dorothea shifted and the camera fell to the side, “Whoa, hold on a minute. Let me get comfortable. I was just about to start cooking dinner.”

“…What time is it?”

“Uh, like. 12AM?” Dorothea glanced up at something out of frame. Probably a clock.

“It does you no good to eat so late at night.” Edelgard chided, “What are you making?”

“Something quick, like, instant ramen or something.” Dorothea replied, “Nutritious and delicious.”

“That is hardly the case.” Edelgard sighed.

“Yeah, but its quick.” Dorothea reached for a kettle behind her and began filling it with water, “So how’s the old Mach? Still as beautiful as you remember? You making friends over there or is Hubert weirding everyone out like he always does?”

“I’ve only been here for two days. We haven’t been able to do much.” Edelgard responded, “I’ve been to market. But, that’s about it. It’s quiet out here. My stepfather lives on the northern part of the island… it’s more countryside out here if anything. It’s peaceful.”

“But, that’s what you need right? How you holding up? Everything okay up there? Need to talk about anything?” Dorothea paused what she was doing and looked at the picture to assure Edelgard she had her undivided attention.

“I am _fine._ ” Edelgard responded, “I’ve been eating my meals. I’ve been taking time to reflect when things bother me. Hubert is also here to remind me to take time for myself.”

“Yeah, but he’s no good with girl stuff.” Dorothea whirled around again.

“Girl… stuff?” Edelgard questioned, perplexed as always by Dorothea’s manner of speech.

“Yeah. You know. Girl stuff. Girl talk. Like what we’re doing right now.” Dorothea replied as she began to pour hot water into her bowl of dehydrated noodles, “Check this out. Super spicy stuff that’s gonna light my stomach on fire. Oh, this will be good.”

“Sounds …uncomfortable at best.” Edelgard massaged the bridge of her nose, “Do you have anything coming up soon in regards to performances?”

“Nah, like I said, Edie, we’re done for the season. I might have something coming up toward the end of the Blue Sea Moon, but, nothing as of yet.” Dorothea spun around, “I’m just gonna enjoy some time off and let time go as it sees fit.”

“I wish I had the same luxury…” Edelgard muttered to herself, “At any rate, I must get going. I have some matters to take care of with Hubert.”

“Your uncle isn’t loading you down with stuff, is he?” Dorothea questioned, “That old kook isn’t stressing you out is he? I’ll come knocking on his door if he is.”

“Please, Dorothea. The concern is noted and appreciated, but, really, all is well right now.” Edelgard pleaded. She appreciated Dorothea’s tenacity, even though it was overwhelming at times.

“Well, all right. You know I got your back, Edie.” Dorothea opened the lid to her noodles to check if they were done, “Any cute guys out there that meet your fancy yet?”

“I’m ending this conversation.” Edelgard began.

“Okay, okay. I’m gonna go eat my noodles. You call me again soon, you hear? Or I’ll do the same. Don’t be a stranger, you know? I missed you over these couple of months. It’s good to see you being … well … you.” Dorothea smiled genuinely, “Bye, Edie! Talk to you soon.”

“Goodbye, Dorothea. Stay well, as well.” Edelgard replied and then closed the lid to her laptop as the connection went to black.

She sighed and reclined back into her pillows. She didn’t have many friends in this world, any at all, really. But, Dorothea had always been a source of comfort for her when she needed a little uplifting under the weight of what her life had brought. She glanced toward the clock again. **6:23AM.** Perhaps it was time for her to get up and indulge the idea of breakfast.

She tied a satin robe around her waist and left her room in search of the kitchen. Lambert was gone, something about business down on the piers with his exporting business. Her mother was probably still asleep. As for Dimitri, who could say. She found Hubert in the kitchen, drinking his customary cup of black coffee. He seemed to be reading something on his phone, but turned his attention to her once she entered the kitchen.

“Good morning.”

“To you as well,” She took a seat at the kitchen island and looked up at him, “Anything worthy of my attention?”

He shook his head and set his phone down on the counter, “Nothing that need your concern. I made coffee,” Hubert turned around and reached for another mug that sat on the counter, “Here, have some.”

“Thank you.” Edelgard accepted the cup graciously and took a sip, “I would like to go to the market again today.”

“Again?” Hubert questioned, “So soon?”

Edelgard glanced at the clock, “Perhaps you are right. We are a bit late for opening, aren’t we? It would take twenty minutes to drive into town at best. Do you have any other ideas for what we should do for today?”

“A walk on the beach?” Hubert postured.

“I loathe the beach.” Edelgard shook her head, “The ocean … I don’t understand what people find so relaxing about it.”

“You did well to travel here by boat for as long as we did.” Hubert remarked, “We will be on land. I am not asking you to swim.”

“Yes, you are right.” Edelgard sipped her coffee, “Have you seen my mother or Dimitri? I know Lambert left early this morning.”

Hubert shook his head, “The house was barren when I awoke this morning. I know not if they are even here.”

Edelgard nodded, “…I spoke to Dorothea. She seems to be doing well.”

“Ah, the lovely Ms. Arnault. How is she?” Hubert asked, eyebrows rising in curiosity, “Still pursing a glamorous life amongst the arts?”

“Yes, she is.” Edelgard set her mug to the side, “She was getting ready for bed. I chided her for eating so late… and instant noodles at that. How deplorable.”

Hubert snorted into the last dregs of his coffee, but did not comment on Edelgard’s disgust for Dorothea’s choice of sustenance for the night. The floor by the kitchen creaked and they both looked up to see who had entered the space they currently occupied. It was Dimitri, looking as haggard as he had since Edelgard had first arrived at the house. He glanced at the two of them wordlessly before his eyes slowly settled on the freshly brewed coffee sitting on the counter.

“Good morning, Dimitri.” Edelgard tried when he failed to acknowledge her or Hubert.

“Hm.” Was Dimitri’s reply from behind Hubert as he began to pour himself a cup of coffee. He left the kitchen as wordlessly as he had came.

“Charming.” Hubert noted duly as he glanced at Dimitri’s retreating form.

“Perhaps he just needs to warm up to the fact that we are here.” Edelgard mused. She stepped off the stool to refill her mug of coffee, “Hubert, I will concede and take your suggestion of that trip to the beach. It is a lovely morning after all.”

“I’m glad you think so, Edelgard.”

“Yes, now. Please excuse me so that I may get ready.”

* * *

Byleth yawned deftly as the sun crested over the horizon of the sea and was now hanging at half mast in the sky. Her line had been dry all morning and her usual fishing spot wasn’t giving her much luck that morning. She turned to Sothis who was busy digging a hole in the sand close to where Byleth was poised with her fishing pole. She watched the dog look up at her as if to question what she wanted, “They’re not biting today, girl.”

The dog whined in response and Byleth shrugged. Maybe she should try a new spot? New form of bait? Byleth flicked the line and started to reel it back in. She stood from her spot and picked up the heavy cooler filled with fishing supplies and descended off the rocky formation she had currently been perched on. Sothis, realizing that her master was currently leaving her behind, stopped her digging in the sand and proceeded to give chase after Byleth.

Byleth opened the door to her home to find Jeralt up and reading the paper at the kitchen table. He looked up at his daughter as she entered the house and raised his eyebrows, “Slow day?”

“Not really getting it today.” Byleth replied as she dropped the cooler at the front door and pressed her rod against a rack by the front door, “It’s fine, I have some back stock in the freezer. I can just use that tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Byleth turned to look at Jeralt as if to silently ask if he was going to ask her something different.

“Are you working today?”

“Night shift at the cafe as usual.” Byleth replied, “It’s tourist season. Hours have been picking up.”

Jeralt nodded silently and went back to looking at the paper, “There’s something interesting in the news today.” He remarked as Byleth took a seat over on the couch and began leafing through a book she had sat aside from last week to start reading again.

“Yes?”

“You ever hear of that group Those Who Slither In The Dark?” Jeralt asked as he set the paper down.

“Not really…” Byleth paused with her finger stuck in her book.

“They’re some vigilante group that seeks to take down people in power. You know, corrupt politicians, businesses, and the like. They’re not as active in Garreg Mach, you mainly see them over in the Adrestrian side of the world. Maybe a bit in Faerghus as well.” Jeralt looked at the paper again, “Says here they’re gearing up for the release of something big sometime soon. The von Hresvelg Towers over in the capital of Enbarr got sent some type of … message of some sort.”

“What does that mean?” Byleth asked, fiddling with the book again.

“Don’t know. Some type of art work.” Jeralt shrugged, “Maybe it was a bomb? Newspaper doesn’t say. Just a _message_. How vague.”

“Hm.” Byleth opened her book and didn’t meet Jeralt’s eyes, “Are you going to Alois’ tonight?”

Jeralt shook his head, “I’ll opt for a nice quiet night in.”

“Are you being derisive?” Byleth questioned as she thumbed a page down.

Jeralt rose from the table, “Tired. I’m gonna head back to sleep. Make sure to feed the dog, you hear?”

“Mmm.” Byleth responded as Jeralt retired to his room and she glanced up at his retreating form. Finding her book no longer held her interest, she turned her attention to Sothis who was currently resting near the front door. What a luxurious life a dog led, constantly being cared for and wanting for nothing. She rose from her seat and poured some food into the dog’s bowl and watched Sothis stretch lazily and toddle over to sniff at her food. She scratched Sothis behind the ears and rose to check the time. Still early. Maybe she should find some other way to occupy her time.

Byleth retreated back outside to the beach and sat down on a chair on the porch. It was calm today, another clear and beautiful day on the island of Garreg Mach. Perhaps she would go get her feet wet for a little while.

She rolled up her pants to her calves and descended to the water’s edge. The surf rolled in calmly and pulled at her ankles, causing indentations in the sand where her feet stood rooted to their spot. She supposed she had been lucky to have been born in this island. Life was slow, life was good. Things were calm for the most part and she relished in the predictability of her life as it currently was. Nothing to distract her from the day to day of living her life as she saw fit and making sure her father … well, she tried to take care of her father as well. Maybe she would have a talk with Alois again.

Byleth turned her attention to the expanse of beach the sprawled out before her and squinted her eyes at something far away at the edge of the beach. Strange. She didn’t see too many people in this part of town. It was probably nothing. Byleth sighed and turned back to the ocean.

She and her father were somewhat known for being hermits in these parts. People left them alone for the most part. …Mostly. There were the jeers every now and then. Her father, once a man celebrated for this accomplishments, now reduced to a… she didn’t have to say it if she didn’t want to think it. He was a good man, that’s all that mattered. And she was ...

A loud shriek brought her attention back to the figures in the distance. Two … strange figures. She pulled back off the shore and slipped her wet feet back into her sandals. Tourists, perhaps? They were always getting lost up here in the north. There wasn’t that much around here to begin with.

Byleth began to walk slightly toward the source of the shrieking and stopped when she spotted a familiar red parasol from afar. Tall, strange man. Small, female. Oh, was that Edelgard? So it was tourists. Those strange tourists from the market.

“We’re too close! Please. No more!”

“It is only but the shore and I am holding your hand. Where is your calm from before?”

“Do you know what I _took_ to get myself through that boat ride from Enbarr?” Edelgard seemed to be pulling away from the tall man as he held onto her hand, “That’s the only reason I was so _calm_ and _composed_.”

“Edelgard, please.” Hubert rounded around her and seemed to loosen his grip on her hand, “It is only water.”

“It’s _death_.”

Byleth cocked her head to the side and frowned slightly. How noisy were these two going to be? She slipped her sandals off, figuring that it was easier to walk barefoot through the sand with her wet feet. Besides, the granules of sand were starting to dig into the soles of her feet, making walking uncomfortable. When she was a few feet away from the ridiculous pair, Byleth waved an arm out and tilted her head again in question.

“Are… you two okay?” Were they drunk? She checked her watch. It never was too early for a night cap … or morning cap. Whatever people called those things. She didn’t drink, she had no idea.

Edelgard turned to look at the woman standing before them and nearly startled at the sight of Byleth. She thought she was a ghost at first. Byleth would laugh if she could, she had been referred to as a _demon_ in these parts a long time ago.

“Oh. It’s the fisherwoman.” Hubert commented drolly.

Edelgard seemed to catch her composure and pulled away from Hubert and retreated as far away from the water as she could, “Oh. Byleth.”

“You remember me?” Byleth questioned. How inconsequential their first meeting had been.

“Why, yes.” Edelgard smoothed out her dress and pressed her arms together so that the parasol was firmly over her head and she was out of reach of Hubert, “It would be rude to ask a lady her name and not remember it.”

Byleth raised her eyebrows and didn’t know quite how to take that, “Oh. I suppose so.”

Edelgard felt her face flush at her earlier statement and took a deep breath, “We were… Hubert and I were taking a walk on the beach. I’m … not used to being surrounded by water like this. It’s very different in Enbarr.”

Byleth walked closer to where the two of them were standing. “Oh. You’re Adrestrian.” She commented, “A long way from home, hm?”

“Yes.” Edelgard nodded, “I suppose we are.”

Byleth nodded in agreement, “How was the Bullhead? To your liking?”

Edelgard looked at her, confused by the sudden line of questioning. “Oh, the fish we purchased from you the other day. My mother enjoyed it. You will be in the market tomorrow, yes? Surely, we could purchase more of it from you then.”

Byleth chuckled and looked off to the side, “If they’re biting tomorrow. Perhaps, yeah. You can.”

Silence lapsed into the conversation for a moment. Byleth was never any good with social interactions besides the bare minimum. She tried to be helpful when she could, but sometimes those intentions were misconstrued or perceived to be … not at helpful as she thought. Edelgard, on the other hand, was trying to recover from her apparent lack of composure in the face of a total stranger. She didn’t know who this _Byleth_ character was or what her intentions could be. Hubert had always told her, _caution, Edelgard._ Was she being cautious enough? Perhaps, she was. This woman had given her no inkling that she knew who she was and if she did, she appeared not to care in the least.

Byleth finally broke the silence and turned around to gesture toward the house behind her further down on the shore, “I live out here.”

“Oh.” Edelgard leaned past Byleth and eyed the somewhat dilapidated looking shack that was on the beach. Perhaps it was cozier inside than it looked on the outside, “By yourself?”

“With my father.” She replied.

“Oh, I see.” Edelgard nodded, “I’m staying with my mother.”

“Yes, you said that.” Byleth recalled.

Edelgard nodded, “Up in the hills.”

Byleth rose her eyebrows. Up in the hills? She most have meant further up north where all of those who marinated in wealth were destined to be. She could only fathom where this girl came from, who she knew, and what exactly this _mother_ of hers was like, “Ah. I know where that is.”

“Were you … born here?” Edelgard asked. This interaction was going smoothly. And Hubert hadn’t interjected once when he thought she might be oversharing. She wasn’t as socially inept as everyone thought her to be.

“Born and raised.” Byleth answered. She poised a hand under her chin and tilted her head to the side, “How have you been doing in figuring the island out?”

“It’s been going well.” Edelgard nodded. Was Byleth trying to suggest some type of help of some sort? Too close. She barely knew this woman. For all she knew she could have been some crazed stalker posing ignorance, “Why, Hubert and I were about to take our leave to go and check out some other parts in town.”

“Yes, indeed.” Hubert came into the conversation now, sensing Edelgard’s unease in continuing things as they were, “I regret to say we must take your leave. But it was good seeing you again …. Byleth.”

Why were tourists so weird? Byleth shrugged, “Sure, anytime… I guess I’ll see you two at the market again?”

“Yes.” Edelgard nodded and moved steadily away from Byleth as Hubert appeared to be making for the road again behind the beach, “It was good to see you again, Byleth.”

Byleth silently waved to her as the girl walked away from where they stood on the beach and over to where a town car was waiting for her. …Very strange indeed. At least she wasn’t prolonging her departure this time with frivolous conversation. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the water and walked back down to the shore to stare back out at the ocean, undisturbed, once again.

* * *

“You should be careful of whom you speak with, Edelgard.” Hubert chided as they got into the car and the partition rolled up.

“I suppose you are right. But, she seemed harmless.” Edelgard mused, “Do you think her of ill intention?”

“She seemed …blank.” Hubert remarked, “Like some hapless fish out of water, flopping about on the shore of the beach.”

“I suppose its fitting she makes her living selling fish, then.” Edelgard chuckled, “I digress, we have to turn our attention to the matter at hand.”

“Your uncle called for you.” Hubert remarked.

“I know.” Edelgard pressed her fingers together so tightly that her knuckles turned whiter than her already pale skin, “Is it about what I think it is?”

“Those Who Slither In The Dark? It seems you were right all along about them targeting your family.” Hubert said, “Why do you suppose they would do so now?”

“I haven’t the faintest clue.” Edelgard replied, “I … should speak with my uncle when we are alone.”

“Are you prepared to do so?” Hubert questioned.

“How much longer can I hope to ignore him for?” Edelgard remarked, “Surely, sooner or later, he will be begging to talk to me. No, not begging, demanding. If he can’t get through from you, he will go through my mother. And you know how much she buckles under the weight of _persuasion_ from her brother. Why do you think I lived with him for so long instead of being with her for all these years?”

“Persuasion … blackmail would be a better term.”

“Not now, Hubert.”

The car began its ascent up the same winding corridor to Lambert’s estate and Edelgard relished in the opportunity to stretch her legs when the car finally pulled up to the front of the house. She thanked their driver and walked into the house to find it as barren as she and Hubert had left it.

Except for Dimitri of course. He was in the living room, in his usual daze, lazily watching some asinine program on the television. He lifted his head in disinterest to see who had entered the house and went back to his program when he noticed that it was only Edelgard.

“Dimitri.” She prompted as she entered the living room. Hubert lingered for a moment, but she had waved him off. They would reconvene later.

Dimitri didn’t acknowledge her greeting and Edelgard sighed at his insufferable behavior, “What.” He croaked out. It wasn’t even a question, a statement, as to why she had intruded on his time alone—yet _again._

Edelgard rounded the couch and sat down next to Dimitri. He shifted slightly away from her and she reigned in the urge to roll her eyes. Such behavior was unbecoming of her anyway, “Dimitri. I’ve been here for three days and you’ve barely said a word to me.”

“And.” Was his single worded statement again.

“I want to speak with you. I want to catch up. It’s been years.” Edelgard protested.

“So.” Again.

“So, I think your behavior is rude. Unbecoming.” Edelgard would go for the jugular if he was going to be so rude and she had done nothing to warrant it, “Almost as deplorable as your state of dress.”

Dimitri turned to her and raised an eyebrow, “My state of dress? You find this offensive?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Ah, back to the single worded statements again. Dimitri changed the channel, “Here’s a question for you, El.”

“Oh, so you want to talk now?”

“Where have _you_ been for the last couple of months? How about we talk about that?” Dimitri questioned, “Before you begin an inquisition into my life, how about you come clean about what’s been going on in yours?”

Something pricked her heart and Edelgard had to struggle to catch her breath. She wasn’t ready to talk about … that. Perhaps, they could skim the surface on that one. Yet, she faced Dimitri with an equally stony expression. Had the years been as cruel to him as they had her? She narrowed her eyes, “What do you wish to know?”

“Were you really in the looney bin?” Dimitri asked.

“If you’re asking me if I was under treatment for mental duress, then, yes. The answer to that would be yes.” Edelgard stiffened at his terminology, but remained unfazed by his line of questioning.

“And everyone goes around referring to it as your _condition_ because they’re afraid they’ll upset you.” Dimitri laughed bitterly, “Wish I had the same luxury.”

“And yourself?” Edelgard asked, “What has happened to you?”

Dimitri shrugged wordlessly, “Dunno.”

“Dimitri.” Edelgard pressed.

Dimitri ignored her, “I never said I was going to tell you what was wrong with my life, now did I?” He shrugged, “What do you care anyway? You haven’t been around in years. Not like you really know what’s going on around here, anyway.” He clicked through channels on the television and settled on some cooking channel that he was halfway interested in watching, “Bet you don’t care anyway.”

“That’s not true, I’m expressing interest because I wish to know.”

Dimitri shrugged, “You’re only gathering information. Not like you really care anyway.” He muttered, “You’ve always been that way. Only doing something unless it benefited you.”

“You… you think I don’t care?” Edelgard questioned. She had had enough. She didn’t care to even entertain this anymore. She stood up and Dimitri didn’t even bother to acknowledge her retreating presence.

“What was it anyway? You wanted to kill yourself? Split personality? Depression? Eating issues? Or did you tick all the boxes above?” Dimitri asked as she proceeded to leave the living room, “Not like it matters anyway. Not like anyone gives a _damn_ anyway.”

Edelgard left Dimitri rambling in the living room and retreated away to what she referred to as the solace and serenity of her bedroom. Hubert was waiting for her, cell phone in hand. His eyebrows were raised in question when she entered the room.

“Any luck with the stepbrother?”

“His mind has been lost.” Edelgard replied, “He was incoherent, not making any sense. I will have to have a private conversation with mother to ascertain why he’s become this way.” She glanced down at the phone in hand, “…Is my uncle waiting for my call?”

Hubert nodded and handed her the phone, “I will be in the next room if you need me.”

“As you are.” Edelgard murmured and looked down at Hubert’s phone before she pressed the number on the phone. She sat down on her bed, stilling herself as the phone rang endlessly to her pressed ear.

Finally, a voice on the other end.

“Edelgard.”

Not a question. Obviously he knew who this was.

“Uncle.”

He inhaled stiffly and exhaled. Must have been smoking one of his customary cigars.

“You have been tardy in calling me, Edelgard.”

“Yes, I apologize for that transgression. It’s been a bit of an adjustment for me being here. I trust that you are well?”

He inhaled sharply again, “As well as I could possibly be.” Exhale, “I trust you have seen the news? This group, this ridiculous thorn in my side, this slithering mess of nonsense that thinks they have any claim against your family’s legacy.”

“You mean Those That Slither In The Dark? Yes, Hubert just spoke with me about them earlier.” Edelgard paused, trying her best to find the right words to convey to her uncle. “I … see they have sent a message of sorts to headquarters?”

“Some stupid art piece claiming _liberation_.” Volkhard muttered, “A bothersome claim. A liberation from whom? From what?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

“Well, you better find out. I’m trusting you Edelgard. If you want a place amongst your father’s legacy, a legacy he entrusted to Aegir and myself after his untimely passing. It would be a shame …” Inhale. “…For all that he built ….” Exhale. “…To go to waste. Would it not?”

She wanted to bite her tongue off. “Yes, uncle. I understand.”

“I knew that you would.” He cleared his throat, “Get that whacked out head of yours straight and get your act together. I didn’t allow you to go to Garreg Mach to indulge in some frivolous vacation.”

“I understand.” She repeated. Gods, how she abhorred this man.

“Send Hubert my regards. Sometimes I think he’s the only thing keeping you straight these days.” Another inhale, “Call me again in a weeks time. That is all.”

The line went dead before she even had a chance to respond. Edelgard let out the breath that she had been holding in and set the phone down to her side. She leaned forward to reach for her purse and rummaged around in the bottom for a pack of Sobraine cigarettes. She found a lighter in a pocket of her purse and retreated to the balcony of her bedroom.

She poised the cigarette in her mouth and the lighter flickered to life as she inhaled deeply and expelled the smoke from her mouth in an exaggerated motion. Hubert would kill her if he knew she was still smoking these things. In this instance it didn’t matter.

Edelgard leaned over the edge of the balcony and stared out at the expanse of beach and ocean that extended beyond her. How she abhorred the ocean, and yet, she supposed there was some beauty that lied in the natural wonders of the world. She inhaled the cigarette again and tapped some ash out over the balcony.

What was she supposed to do? Where was she supposed to turn? She had a purpose in Garreg Mach that extended past anything her uncle demanded of her. For once in her life, she wanted a moment to feel free. As free as the people she had seen walking amongst the market the other day. As free as someone who wasn't confined to the life that she was supposed to lead. For one day, she wished that she were someone else. But, wishing she was someone else wasn’t going to get her very far with what she had to do.

In the distance she could see Byleth’s cottage. She wondered what kind of life she had led. Such a quiet and unassuming soul. A normal woman peddling her wares to other people and making a _normal_ living off of such a _normal_ occupation. Normal. Edelgard laughed bitterly to herself. She was far from normal, she had always known that. Normal wouldn’t have landed her in the care of that psychiatrist for the last couple of months. Taking medication that they _said_ she needed—perhaps they were right. Normal wouldn’t have landed her here, at this exact moment. So who cared about normal? She was far from it. Shall she call herself extravagant? Extravagantly …crazy? Was the medication starting to wear off again?

Edelgard inhaled the cigarette again and turned her attention back on Byleth’s cottage. From her vantage point she could see a bright red car coming up the road and cutting to the left. Was that Byleth? Where was she going? Why was she so curious all of a sudden anyway? Maybe because … as she began to go back to her previous train of thought … maybe because Byleth was just that, _normal._ What was normal anyway? She should stop this.

Perhaps, she would go to the market again tomorrow and see what semblance of normality she could find there. Maybe everyone would stare at her again and whispers would trail after her wherever she went. Why were people so interested in her and her family anyway? They were insanely wealthy. That’s all it was. The rumors were untrue. Sure, her uncle may have been a sadistic psychopath. Those were true, she was sure. But, beyond that, there was nothing worth gossiping about or talking about. All of those stories were in the past, a past best left… not left forgotten.

Edelgard stood up straight. How could she have forgotten? That past was important. But not important enough to be brought back into the limelight just yet. No, she had to bide her time. Just for a little while longer.

She ashed the rest of her cigarette on the ledge of the balcony and stared at the butt in her hand. She discarded it on her way back in and vigorously tried to wash the scent of smoke from her hands, lest Hubert smell it. …Hubert. She would return to him and tell him what had happened during that phone call. He would formulate something. Something that seemed right to assuage her uncle’s ever formidable rage and ire. She sighed.

 _Breathe, Edelgard. Remember who you are_.

She reached for the doorknob of her room and let herself out.

“Hubert, a word, please…”


	3. Modafinil Blues

_Smoke and Mirrors_

**III: Modafinil Blues**

* * *

Byleth used the back of her hand for cover as she tried to stifle another yawn from escaping her mouth. She had done a double today. Can’t be helped when you’re the oldest and manager of a bunch of rag tag teenagers and young twenty-somethings who work in a coffee shop.

Someone always calls out for some asinine reason. She shrugged her shoulders back and inhaled deeply. Well, it had been Bernadetta that called out today, so she wouldn’t give her too much flack. The girl was skittish and awkward, but she was kind. She couldn’t fault someone for having social anxiety; we all needed a chance at times.

She sipped her third cup of coffee of the night and checked the clock again. Almost thirty minutes until closing. She had already sent Mercedes home for the night. No use in keeping the girl here when it was so slow tonight. Claude had dropped by earlier to keep her company, but she waved him off when he kept messing with her playlist of _coffee shop vibes_ and kept replacing it with loud and aggressive metal. Who comes to a coffee shop to listen to _metal music_?

Byleth rolled her sleeves up and pulled her hair out of her face as well. Better start doing some closing procedures so she could get out of here early and get home already. Early day at the market tomorrow, she thought. Always early, always working, that was Byleth. She turned the key on the register and popped it open and started counting her till. _$728_? Not bad. Next the tip jar… she would have to divide those up so everyone could get their share. Make the schedule for next week if Claude hadn’t already done so… what else was she forgetting?

The door jingled and Byleth stopped her furious writing and tilted her head to see who had entered the shop. She quickly glanced at the clock, 8:45PM. Late stragglers for sure. She wiped her hands off on her apron and approached the front, “What can I get for you?”

The man tossed his head to the side and took in the state of the coffee shop, before turning his attention to Byleth, “Why, hello there.” He looked Byleth up and down and seemed to be formulating some type of thoughts in his head. Whether they were salacious or not, Byleth really didn’t care. The occasional sleaze didn’t bother her, “May I ask, is Claude around?”

Byleth cocked her head to the side as if to question the man silently, “No… he isn’t.”

“Hm, strange. I figured he would be here.” The man huffed, “No bother. I shall just have to come another day then. Would you mind taking a message for me?”

“And you are…” Byleth asked, removing the pen from behind her ear and holding a writing pad in her hand.

“Ah, my apologies.” He moved some of his hair away from his face, “I am Lorenz, an… old acquaintance of Claude. I was currently doing my rounds when I realized that I was in the vicinity of his family’s coffee shop and wanted to pop in and say hello.”

Byleth looked at the man in front of her, scribbled down a quick note of, ‘odd man with purple hair dropped by to see Claude?’ and set it down on the counter in front of her, “Will that be all?” She glanced at the clock behind him and gesture, “We’re closing soon … so…”

“Ah, my apologies. How rude of me.” Lorenz stepped back from the counter, “I would like a batch of your finest earl grey crafted by your wonderful hands... to go please.” 

Byleth turned around and pulled a cup from off the rack, “Hot or cold?” 

“The hottest you can manage.” 

Byleth shook her head as she ducked behind one of the espresso machines to grab a tea bag and run the hot water. What was up with all these strange people popping up on the island as of late? Was Mercury in retrograde? She pushed a lid on top of the drink and sat it on the counter, “That’s $2.00.”

He handed her a twenty and she handed him back his change, “Thank you…” He peered down at the nametag on her apron, “ _Byleth._ ”

“You’re welcome.” Byleth glanced at the clock again.

Lorenz popped open the mug to inhale the scent of the tea and sighed with all the adulation in the world. He cupped his drink in hand, “Lovely, Byleth.” As he pushed the lid back on and took his first swig, he sighed again in ecstasy, “Yes, right. Well, do tell Claude I came looking for him, would you? He’ll know who I am.”

“Sure thing.” Byleth fiddled with the keys currently clipped to the belt loop of her pants. Just five more minutes, “Please come again.” Or ...don't.

“Oh, I _will_ be.”

Lorenz cooed and sauntered his way through the front door of the café and out into the night. Byleth exhaled the breath she had been holding through that entire exchange and massaged her temples. Maybe she should have kept Mercedes around until closing, at least she would be there to keep her company amongst all the weirdoes that kept coming into her life as of late.

When the clock hit 9PM, her key went into the front door and she firmly clicked it shut and turned the open sign over to closed. Byleth recalculated her totals, readied the till for Ashe’s shift in the morning, and set out the tip envelopes for everyone to collect when they came in for their next shifts. The increase in tourism as of late had been good to them, hopefully it held up for the rest of the summer. She left the note on the manager’s desk for Claude to look at when he came in the next morning. Sweeping and wiping everything down had taken her a little over a half hour and she was turning out the lights to the café and heading to her car just past 9:35PM.

It _had_ been a good night.

She started the car and rolled down the windows. The humidity wasn’t quite that bad tonight and a ride through the countryside back to her home at the end of a hard day’s work was always relaxing to her. Her mind didn’t wander too much on the drive home, there wasn’t much to think about anyway. She would wake up early the next morning and venture to Seteth’s farm to help him and Flayn out in the morning… maybe she would leave the afternoon free for some fishing… or time with Sothis. There was always the book that she was supposed to be finishing and returning to Mercedes any day now, too… 

A beep from her cell phone caught her attention as she rolled to a stop at a red light. She clicked the front screen and the name that flashed up didn’t surprise her. It was Manuela, the retired opera singer who used to sing down at Alois’ on some nights. She sighed and looked at the message that came up on the screen.

_Come get your father._

The small bubble with green ellipses popped up on the screen, disappeared, and then reappeared again.

_He’s emotional tonight. Won’t leave._

Byleth texted back a simple, _ok_ , and hit the gas peddle when the light turned green. Looks like she was going back into town. Ah, so maybe it wasn’t going to be a calm night after all.

* * *

She headed back into the heart of town, turning onto a side street and down a one-way street that was louder than most. What some would call the downtown district of their small town ran along the coast of the beach. Contained a total of four bars, two nightclubs, a few restaurants that offered fresh seafood and local cuisine, cafes, a couple of hotels and bed and breakfasts, some shops, maybe a bank or two. The farmer’s market was near here, too. Even with all the time she spent at home, the town was small enough to figure out in a day’s time.

Byleth pulled her car into the parking lot of Alois’ pub and sighed as she got out. She looked at the bright red sign flashing overhead and noticed the A had gone out completely. Charming. She entered the pub and nodded to Shamir, the no nonsense bouncer that minded the front. Shamir waved Byleth through; familiar with her enough already to not even bother with that whole carding nonsense.

Once inside, she surveyed the bar, looking for any signs of her father or Manuela. Hanneman was behind the bar as usual, cleaning glasses and talking to patrons. Byleth wrinkled her nose at the smoke that wafted into her face. Why it was still legal to smoke in these establishments, she would never understand. This wasn’t really her scene to begin with.

Hanneman caught sight of her and nodded his head toward the back and found Jeralt slumped over at a table with Manuela sitting across from him. Byleth walked over to the two of them and looked at her motionless father and then at Manuela.

“Jeralt, Byleth is here.” Manuela shook his arm gently.

Jeralt didn’t pick his head up, his voice obscured by where he had pressed his head into his folded arms on the table. He didn’t want to go. _Why_ had they called Byleth to come get him?

Byleth looked away from her father and toward Manuela, “How much did he have tonight?”

Manuela nodded off to the side and rose so she could speak to Byleth in private, “Four glasses of whiskey? Maybe more? I tried to have Hanneman water his drinks down after the third. He started an argument with one of the patrons tonight. Alois almost kicked him out.” She glanced over to Jeralt who still hadn’t lifted his head up. “I have no idea how to get him to leave. Do you?”

“Gentle coaxing.” Byleth stated, “…Was there anything in particular that he was talking about?”

“Oh, honey, it was about your mother, Sitri.” Manuela sighed, “The anniversary is coming up pretty soon isn’t it?”

Byleth poised a hand under chin and nodded to herself. That’s right. The anniversary of her mother’s death _would_ be here soon. How could she have been so forgetful? Was she such a terrible daughter for forgetting a mother that she could barely remember?

Manuela continued, “Keeps saying he has dreams about her. That she comes to him and tells him that she’s here and he doesn’t have to worry about you anymore. She’ll always be there or something.” She gestured toward Jeralt, “We all know how much he misses her even if it _has_ been over twenty years.”

“I guess it has…” Byleth mused. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” 

“Will you need help?” Manuela asked, “I don’t know how much use I can be besides having Shamir physically throw him out at this point.”

Byleth shook her head, “No. That won’t be necessary. However, I need to know, where is Alois? I … want to apologize for this if I can.”

Maunela gestured toward the back, “In the back office.”

Byleth nodded, “…Thank you. Please look after my father for a little while longer.”

Manuela waved Byleth off as she returned to the table where Jeralt was currently slumped over. Making her way through the crowd of patrons, Byleth entered the back office where she saw Alois currently perusing a thick book with a calculator at his side. She knocked on the open door and he looked up at her, his expression softening when he saw who was interrupting his number crunching. He set his cigarette down in the ashtray and motioned for Byleth to come in. She closed the door behind her and took a seat in the chair on the other side of his desk.

“Alois.” She started. Here again to apologize for her father’s … unsavory behavior. Once again.

Alois sighed through a cloud of smoke and stabbed out his cigarette, “Evening Byleth. How are you tonight?”

“Was headed home. Then Manuela texted me, and…” Byleth trailed off, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, you know this happens from time to time.” Alois nodded to himself.

 _Time to time?_ Byleth thought. How about a couple of times a year? Twice a month? It was embarrassing to have to always come down here and show her face to these people. They liked it when she kept to her spaces to begin with. It always felt like someone was slinging judgement and just waiting to take their pitch at her to see how she would react. Always. It was _always_ like this. 

Alois didn't seem to notice her silence because he kept jabbering away,“...Jeralt is like an older brother to me. Why, I remember our times in the service together. He was always so stern and disciplined, knew how to get the best out of his men without so much as a word to us at times, and yet I wonder…” He shook his head and sighed, “Now the alcohol knows how to get the worst out of him ... the years have not been kind to that man …”

She wouldn’t know. Her father had rarely talked about his past in the service. His focus had always been her, never recanting tales of past valor and bravery. She only knew him as he was now. Byleth stared blankly at Alois as she was waiting for him to continue.

“…Do you need help getting him home?” Alois asked.

“I can manage.” Byleth shook her head, “I’ll keep him home for a couple of days. He shouldn’t have to bother you like this.”

Alois scoffed, laughing at Byleth’s formality, “Kid, we’re like family over here. One mess up hasn’t soiled my relationship with your father. He’s going through somethin’ right now. We all know that.”

 _He’s been going through something for years._ Byleth thought silently to herself but didn’t comment on what Alois had said. She nodded her head and stood up, “Right. I’m going to go take him home now. If that’s okay?”

Alois waved her away, “Sure, make sure he rests that head of his. Get him straight, kid. I’ll make sure Catherine sends you with something for the trouble.” He nodded to himself as if he were satisfied with his decision, “And do take some time for yourself to go with him to see your mother. He may not articulate it, but I’m sure your father would want you there with him this year.”

Byleth glanced at Alois over her shoulder, lowered her gaze and walked away wordlessly. The office door closed behind her and she entered the noisy bar once again in search of her father. Jeralt had picked his head off the table and was covering half his face with one of his hands. He seemed to be a bit more coherent now. Good. She didn’t want to resort to Shamir throwing him out on his ass and her following him in his wake. They already had enough a reputation around this town as it was.

Manuela nudged Jeralt and he looked at Byleth as she approached the table once again. He took one look at his daughter, sighed, and got to his feet without another word. Before Byleth could leave, Catherine came running her way from the kitchen with two plastics bags filled with cartons and shoved them into her arms. Food for the road, she stated. Byleth thanked her and then followed Jeralt out of the pub without another word.

* * *

The drive back home was silent and Byleth knew Jeralt wouldn’t really talk. They weren’t … the talking type of family. They understood one another, sure. But Byleth had never expressed emotions easily and Jeralt… well he was never quite the same after Sitri had passed. But everyone knew that. 

“You ever get angry with me?” Jeralt’s raspy voice cut through the silence and Byleth leaned back in her chair so she could quickly glance at him, “I don’t do this all the time… but when I do… it makes things difficult for the both of us.”

“It’s all right.” Byleth replied. What else was she supposed to say?

Jeralt sighed again and turned his gaze up to the stars, “They might have told you already what happened.” He blinked, “Been having dreams about your mother again. Her smile, the way she used to smell. It’s been over twenty five years since she’s been gone and it always feels like yesterday, kid.” He swallowed through the thickness in his throat, damn alcohol. “You look more like her with each passing day.”

“So you’ve said.” Byleth replied.

Jeralt tilted his head toward Byleth’s direction, “Do you even remember her?”

Byleth shook her head; “I was barely a toddler when she passed. How could I?”

Jeralt shrugged, “Sometimes they say we remember things from way back then. Don’t know, maybe you could have been one of the lucky few.” He coughed and let his head lull against the head of the seat, “She loved flowers. And books. Had a way with nature like you do, too. You get your hardiness from me, your mother was a frail woman but she tried her best.”

Byleth nodded. She had heard all of this before in the rare moments when her father actually got emotional about her mother, “Anything else?”

Jeralt massaged his face, “Loved you to death, she did.”

Byleth felt a small tug at her heart. Almost got her there, dad. She lifted her gaze to the darkness ahead of them and realized they were almost home. “Would you like me to come with you to see her this year?”

“What about work?”

Byleth shook her head, “One day won’t hurt. It would be good… I think.”

Jeralt grunted, but didn’t reply. Maybe they didn’t need to talk about this anymore. Byleth pulled the car into the road leading to their home and turned off the car. Jeralt stumbled out and made his way to the house while she grabbed her bags, along with the food Catherine had given her, and made her way in after her father. 

"My head is going to split by the morning."

Byleth dropped her bag on the couch and set the food down on the table, "Please eat something before going to bed."

Jeralt grumbled again and pulled his seat out from the table as Byleth did the same. Sothis eagerly walked over to the table and wagged her tail at the two of them, expecting a treat of some sort. Byleth broke off half of a bread roll and held her hand down for the dog. One, tiny little paw landed against her leg and Sothis yipped happily as she attacked the piece of bread her master had graciously given to her. 

"Don't give the dog food if she begs, you'll spoil her."

Byleth smiled softly at Sothis who looked back at her with big, round, happy eyes. "She's been good these past fifteen years, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, the little mutt's been good. Old dog never seems to change, its strange." He stabbed at the piece of steak in his take away box, "How was work?"

Byleth shrugged, "Busy during the day. Slower toward the night."

"How's Claude?"

"The same as he ever is." Byleth broke off a piece of bread. She wasn't too hungry, actually. 

"Always the same, huh?"

"Yes." Byleth replied. 

They finished their meal in relative silence and Byleth stored the leftovers for later. Perhaps, she would eat hers for breakfast before she went to the farm. Jeralt seemed to have sobered up a bit more from before, but he still seemed distracted by something. He stared at her in a manner that would have unnerved anyone else. She was used to these looks. Jeralt had been giving them to her all of her natural born life. 

“Byleth. Just one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to be careful in these coming weeks.” His serious tone threw her off a bit, “…There’s something that’s coming our way that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. Thought I was losing my mind, but I don’t think so, this time.”

Byleth looked at him, “And that would be …?”

“Ghosts.” Was Jeralt’s only response.

* * *

Edelgard hadn’t slept well the night before, still slightly unnerved by her conversation with her uncle. Hubert had taken note of her concern and did what he could to assuage her somewhat unhinged behavior. It worked, for a little while. Then it was back to the constant ruminations of before. She took her medication as he instructed and retired to her room with nothing but a train of empty thoughts.

She decided she would rest at home for the day. She had been out and about in town for the past couple of days getting to know the locals, and the constant interaction had been exhausting. A day of lounging by the pool—never in it, by gods, _no—_ was enough to distract her from her messy thoughts. Her mother had decided to join her as well, trying to coax her into the water. Edelgard had politely declined in a most strained manner. Pool, ocean, river, lake—didn’t matter the body of water. She was _not_ getting in.

Patricia hoisted herself up out of the water and crossed the expanse to where her daughter was lying in a lounge chair, protecting her porcelain skin from the flaming sun beaming down on them from a clear blue sky. Patricia rang her damp hair out and pulled it away from her face, “It is _beautiful_ today.”

“Yes, it is quite lovely.” Edelgard commented as she opened her eyes to look at her mother.

Patricia sat down in the chair opposite Edelgard, “Any plans for today? Where is Hubert?”

“Working.” Edelgard commented, “I may be enjoying a brief bit of respite, but he still has work to contend with.”

“I see.” Patricia began applying suntan lotion again.

Edelgard lifted her sunglasses from her face and turned to look at her mother, “Mother, a question if I may?”

“Yes, darling?”

Edelgard leaned back in her chair and lifted her gaze to the cloudless sky, “What ever is the matter with Dimitri? He has been as cold and callous as a winter’s night since I’ve arrived. I have tried to speak with him on multiple occasions and extend even the simplest of pleasantries, yet he does nothing but rebuke me and bark like a rabid dog.”

Patricia inhaled sharply, exhaled slowly; “Dimitri is … going through something right now.”

“As am I, yet I have been nothing but polite to everyone here since I’ve arrived.” Edelgard countered.

“Yes, well…” Patricia turned her gaze to the house and sighed again, “It was... it was about half a year ago. There was an incident. A very… troubling incident.”

“What happened?”

“You are right to wonder about him and I’m glad you are showing concern. Were he in the right mind, he would probably appreciate it. I know that is true.” Patricia clasped her hands together over a bent knee, “Dimitri has always been fond of you. Why, do you remember when you taught him how to waltz when you two were children?”

“Mother, please.” Edelgard prodded, “Please, tell me what happened. I did not ask you to reminisce about embarrassing moments from the past.”

Patricia laughed heartily and nodded her head, “It was at the beginning of this year. He was out on the town with a couple of his friends from what I heard. They were celebrating something. I’m not sure, perhaps a friend’s birthday? Either way, the story goes that he got into a bit of trouble that night…”

“Trouble?”

“Have you noticed the eye patch he always wears?”

“Yes? Did he injure himself recently?” Edelgard questioned.

Patricia reclined in her chair and shook her head, “No. He was attacked. And… the assailant…” She closed her eyes as if she were struggling with what she was about to say next, “He … took his eye.”

“ _Took_?” 

“Lambert told me that someone had stabbed him.” Patricia replied, “In return… oh, El, please. I don’t want to talk about this. It was already troubling enough when it happened. To relive it again is as devastating as the first time I saw him.”

“Mother. _What_ did he do?”

“He ...shot a man.” Patricia replied, “He … he didn’t kill him. But, he shot him nonetheless. I don’t know how. I don’t know where he got a _gun_ from, or what he was doing with that. But, he just.” She tried to regain her composure; “It would have been a self defense verdict, as easy as that…”

“Was there more? Did something else happen?”

“They found drugs in his possession. I don’t know what or how much, but it was enough that they…” Patricia covered her face as if recounting this story was too overwhelming for her. Edelgard felt like scoffing. Why was her mother feigning such a delicate and innocent persona right now? “…He’s been on house arrest since then. I’m sure you’ve seen the monitoring bracelet on his ankle? He tried to keep it covered, but you can see it underneath his pants every now and then.” She turned to look at her daughter, “Lambert was able to get him off with an easier sentence, but he’s on probation now.”

“Is that why he never leaves the house?”

“Yes.” Patricia leaned forward, “ _Please_ , do not speak of this with anyone. Lambert has had enough shame to deal with this year and I do not wish to relive the drama if possible.”

“What of Dimitri?” Edelgard asked, “When will this … house arrest be lifted?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably by the end of the year if he keeps on the straight and narrow like we hope he will.”

“Why is he not in therapy? Why is he being left to just wander about the house like a homeless vagabond?” Edelgard asked, “He looks so sickly, like death has already come from him even though his heart still pumps blood through his veins.”

“I think the court allowed him to depart from the premises only for those reasons. Therapy, that is. But he refuses to leave.” Patricia shook her head; “He doesn’t have many visitors besides his friend Dedue. They seem to have all deserted him when he needs them the most.”

“What cowards.” Edelgard spat.

Patricia appeared to nod in agreement, “Your stepfather is of the same opinion.”

Edelgard turned her gaze up toward the house again. So this was his prison. Confined to walls he could no longer leave because he was under the oppressive eye of the law. Oh, _how_ , she sympathized with that feeling. Enbarr had been the same for her in the years that followed her father’s passing. If only she could get him to speak with her… maybe. Maybe she could help in some way? _No, you’re getting beside yourself, Edelgard. Calm down. You cannot help everyone._ But she could try… _couldn’t_ she?

Patricia seemed to want to disrupt her inner monologue at that moment because she perked up, “Oh. Hubert is coming.”

Edelgard lowered her gaze to see Hubert’s long and lanky form making his way around the pool and over to where the two women were currently lounging. He nodded politely to Patricia and looked at Edelgard. Was there business for her to attend to?

“Good afternoon, ladies. I trust the two of you are soaking up the finest of rays on this magnificent day.”

Patricia nodded, “Hello, Hubert. Finished with your work?”

Hubert nodded in return, “Ah, yes. That. How loathsome to work on holiday, don’t you think?” He turned a scrutinizing eye on Edelgard; “I was just coming to see if Edelgard would like to _join_ me for a cup of coffee, perhaps?”

Patricia looked at Edelgard and urged her along, “Yes, I think a change of environment would do her good. She’s been sitting underneath me for far too long.”

“Mother, I…” Edelgard glanced at Patricia and squashed her need to frown. She knew this was Patricia diverting the conversation because she had said too much about Dimitri. Hubert raised his eyebrows as if to say, _concede defeat, my lady, “_ Oh. I … fine.” How eloquent. It wasn’t like her to be tripped up in such a way.

"Yes, do go and enjoy yourself." Patricia went back to lounging in her chair and waved her daughter off, “Remember what I said, El.”

Edelgard glanced back at her mother as she followed after Hubert, “Yes, mother. Do not worry.” And then turned back around to follow Hubert into the house. Hubert opened the door to her room and gestured for her to enter before him. When the door closed behind the two of them, Edelgard turned around and huffed, “Do you realize how rude it was of you to interrupt us just then? I was gathering information.”

“As was I.” Hubert countered, “But, please, do go on. Tell me what you know first.”

“Nothing that helps what we’re out here for.” Edelgard replied as she disappeared behind her changing screen, “Can you please find something for me to wear first?”

With a resigned sigh, she heard Hubert walk across the room. A few seconds later, a simple black dress tumbled over onto her side of the screen, “Is this sufficient?”

“Yes, Hubert, thank you.” Edelgard set about taking her bikini off and draped it over the screen. She pulled the dress down and slipped into it, “Dimitri. I found out what’s wrong with him.”

“Oh, please enlighten me about your forlorn stepbrother.” Hubert watched as Edelgard disappeared into her walk-in closet for something.

Too many parts to that story, where did she start? She exchanged her bikini bottoms for proper underwear and reappeared in the main part of bedroom. “Mother says he’s under house arrest.”

“Ah, so we’re currently sharing quarters with a criminal?” The grin that began to unfurl on Hubert’s face was almost sadistic, “Shall he recruit him to the cause?”

“I know that you wish me to take that idea in jest.” Edelgard sighed, “Mother said he shot someone. A drug scuffle, perhaps? He lost his eye. Rather, a man… took his eye during his fight.”

“Goodness.”

“Yes.” Edelgard nodded, “…I wonder what has happened here in my absence? Surely, I thought my mother’s home would be … not as tainted as my own. Perhaps, I was wrong.”

“The location matters not, Edelgard. Everywhere on this earth is plagued by some form of pestilence in some way or another.” Hubert scoffed, “The thing that matters most is what you choose to do with it.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” She looked up at Hubert, “And what of you? What have you found during your _work_?”

“Perhaps a lead on where we can find someone who might know about this legend of yours.” Hubert suggested, “At a coffee house. A specific coffee house by the name of _the Golden Deer_. Shall we hazard a trip into town?”

“If you insist.” Edelgard paused, “…Have you received any word from Lysithea?”

Hubert gestured for Edelgard to prepare herself so that they could leave, “Whom do you think I received that lead from?”

“I am honestly indebted to her beyond words.” Edelgard muttered as she followed Hubert out of the room.

On their way out of the house, they passed by Dimitri who was in his customary daze on the living room couch. Same eye patch, same bedraggled clothing. She chose to peer down at his ankles in search of the bracelet her mother had mentioned before. Something bulky was hidden underneath his baggy sweatpants, but she couldn’t make out what exactly it was. _Dimitri…_

Feeling sharp eyes turned in his direction, Dimitri turned to look behind him and their gazes met for a brief moment. Edelgard paused to stare at him briefly and shook her head. She couldn’t be consumed with saving him right now when she had her own demons to contend with right now.

The black town car pulled up in front of the house as she was arranging her parasol over her arm. Hubert pulled the door open for her, gestured for her to get in and then closed the door behind them. The sun was still bright, but dusk would slowly be creeping back up to link her arms around the great bright husk and pull it down into the horizon again. The moon would rise, slowly, illuminating the way in the darkness for Edelgard to chase whatever she was meant to find for the night. 


	4. So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth

_Smoke and Mirrors_

**IV: So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth**

* * *

“I utterly despise being amongst the public.” Edelgard muttered to herself as she and Hubert continued their way down the street. The sun was starting to set and they had been walking for some time now. And people were staring. They _always_ stared at her. She looked up at the taller man in front of her, “Hubert, are you even listening?”

“Why of course. I listen to everything you say, Edelgard.” He turned to look over at his shoulder at his diminutive charge, “However, I am loath to admit my current folly. My dear, it appears that we are lost.”

Edelgard stopped and stared at the back of Hubert’s head as he refused to turn around and look at her, “ _Lost_ , Hubert?”

“I must have miscalculated. I could have sworn the café was on this very street. In this _very_ location.” Hubert mused, “But it appears as if we have been walking around in circles at this point.” He turned his head to look across the street, “That is the third time I’m seeing that advertisement for _Garreg Mach Vulneraries_.”

“You are _embarrassing_ me.” Edelgard lowered her parasol so she could block him from view. They had been walking around for the last ten minutes looking like lost tourists. Looking like _idiots_. The well for Edelgard’s pride ran deep. This was one of the moments where she wouldn’t allow it to be wounded because of one simple mishap.

“My lady, I must apologize for my misdirection.”

“As you should.” Edelgard turned away from him and peered down the street, “What was the name of this café again?”

“The Golden Deer.” Hubert replied.

“Can you not consult _your phone_ for directions?” Edelgard snapped.

“I did.” Hubert looked down at his phone again and the screen flickered to life. “It seems as if we are in the right area…”

“And yet, you still tell me we are lost.” Edelgard repeated. Her patience was wearing thin, “I refuse to ask these people for help lest I be gawked at like some type of spectacle to behold.”

Hubert turned around to face the agitated woman, “The reception is bad out here.”

 _His brain was bad_ —would have been a childish remark so Edelgard chose to still her tongue. In her frustration, she chose not to acknowledge his inability to find their way and turned down the street and began walking. Now who was being childish? Hubert silently followed her, letting her allow her pride to get the better of her. Or maybe fate would scoop her up with a helping hand and deposit her right where she needed.

She paused at the end of the street, gripping her parasol until her knuckles turned white. She gazed up at the offending red light and willed it to turn green already. There was a young child next to her that just wouldn’t shut up about _mangoes_ and _fish_. She had had enough of these simple country people for one day.

“…take me fishing was so cool, Byleth! And I’m sure your dad’s going to love the mangoes we took him today! They’ve been growing in really well lately. Father says we have a couple of more weeks for a good harvest and then we should really look into…”

Blah, blah, blah. Fish. Mangoes. … _Wait_. Byleth?

Edelgard lifted her parasol and turned her head to look at the people who were currently waiting at the crosswalk with her. There she was—the fish lady herself—with a strange green haired girl who was talking her ear off and didn't seem to be annoying Byleth in the slightest.

“Byleth?” Edelgard questioned.

The quiet woman blinked and turned her head in Edelgard’s direction. A small smile seemed to grace her features as the girl she was with looked at Edelgard as well. Before Byleth could say anything, the small girl interrupted, “You should really say excuse me first, ma’am. It’s not polite.”

Edelgard blinked. Was this young girl seriously admonishing _her?_ “Ex… excuse me??”

Byleth chuckled softly, “It’s okay, Flayn.” She lifted her gaze back up to Edelgard, “Hello, Edelgard. How are you?”

The light had changed during their exchange, but they stay rooted to one side of the street. Edelgard glanced at the light and then Byleth who simply stood there with her smaller charge. She regained her composure, “Let us cross the street first and converse over there.” Once they had crossed, she turned back to Byleth, “I’m fine. I’m taking an evening walk with Hubert.” She nodded off toward her attendant who was lagging behind them.

“Oh. Yeah. I guess it’s a nice night for that.” Byleth commented. She gestured toward the smaller girl at her side, “This is Flayn. I’m currently looking after her for her father for the night.”

“Yeah!” Flayn said, looking up at the rude lady with the parasol, “We’re going to Byleth’s café to go get some acerola cherry frappuccinos. They’re absolutely delicious.”

Edelgard blinked, “Acerola?”

“A cherry native to the island.” Byleth replied, “And yourself? Where are you heading tonight?”

Edelgard huffed. This Byleth woman had been kind to her since she had first met her and above all else, she hadn’t bothered her with being … well … _Edelgard_. Maybe she would know where this café was. Surely, she wouldn’t make fun of her for asking, “Maybe you can help…” She turned a quick eye to Hubert who was silently standing there letting her have this moment of _pride_ , “We’re looking for a café called the Golden Deer, but it appears to elude us. Do you perhaps know… where it is?”

That small, yet warm smile, returned to Byleth’s face, “That’s where we’re headed now.”

“Huh?” Edelgard asked, “Wait, that’s _your_ café?”

“I just work there.” Byleth replied. She gestured in front of them; “It’s just a little ways at the end of the street. Come on, you can come with us.”

“Th… thank you, I would appreciate that very much.” Edelgard gave her a small bow of gratitude and then turned to look at Hubert. Guess she won this round. Hubert shrugged in response. They would have found their way sooner or later.

They let Byleth lead the way to the café and entered to find it moderately busy. Behind the counter was that tan man from before when they had met Byleth at the fish stall. He and Byleth exchanged pleasantries and he seemed to regard Edelgard in an almost bemused manner. What was so funny? Did she have something on her face? The people of this town annoyed her.

Byleth chose a seat for them over by the window where she and Flayn sat down with two red and artificially sweetened drinks. Edelgard settled for her customary bergamot and Hubert, black coffee. So they were creatures of habit. Why change now?

“How are you enjoying Garreg Mach?” Byleth asked as she sipped at her drink. She watched Flayn suck up a chunk of the icy concoction and hold her head because of brain freeze, “Did you check out those other parts of town like you mentioned before?”

Edelgard nodded and she folded her hands in her lap, “Yes. It was quite enlightening.”

“Really? Where did you go?” Byleth asked. She checked in on Flayn again who seemed to have zoned out on the conversation that the _adults_ were having. Teenagers and their cell phones. Thankfully, she never went through that phase. ...They had been too poor to afford stuff like that back then anyway. 

Edelgard looked at Hubert and he continued for her, “The library.”

“The library.” Byleth repeated like it wasn’t a question. She was laughing on the inside. These two were strange. She liked them. “How was that?”

“Uhm…” Edelgard stammered over her words, trying to find some reasoning for Hubert’s answer, “I like to read. We found some books there that we can’t find in Enbarr.”

“Oh. I see.” Byleth nodded again.

“Yes. It … it was very nice.”

Edelgard wanted to smack herself in the face and get her ass in gear. Why was she sitting here running her mouth with the fish woman? Lysithea had said that there was a lead in this café but how in the world was she supposed to find it? Was there a person waiting for her? Coffee shops were hubs of information, she supposed, but this wasn’t it, was it?

She saw Hubert covertly canvassing the coffee shop himself. He was probably thinking the same thing. He turned an eye to her and shook his head. He saw nothing as well. Had this tip been a dud?

Edelgard cradled her cup of tea in her hands and looked up at Byleth. Time to make time for idle chitchat. “What’s it like working here?”

It was a coffee shop. What other answer was Edelgard looking for? Byleth sipped at her drink, “It’s ... nice. We have our regulars. It’s tourist season now so we get different stragglers every now and then. Most people say it's the best coffee in town, so I guess we have a hold on the market.”

“I see. Do you get … any interesting people that come here often?”

Byleth looked up at her, “Such as yourself?”

Was she … _teasing_ her? Edelgard sipped her tea, “I don’t think I’m that interesting.”

Flayn chose to interject into the conversation as she looked up from her phone, “You’re not from around here. That's what she means.”

“I _know_ that.” Edelgard remarked. She wished this _child_ would go back to her phone and stay out of the adult conversation. She looked up at Byleth who was looking back at her. Maybe the strange fish woman could help with something. Maybe they were _supposed_ to talk to locals. That was it? “Byleth, a question if I may.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know of any interesting history about Garreg Mach?” Edelgard asked, “Any … interesting stories that us non-locals wouldn’t know about?” Maybe she could pull something about of Byleth. She was a native of this place, wasn’t she?

“Like what?” Byleth asked. She averted her eyes to look at something that Flayn was showing her on her phone.

Hubert interjected his way into the conversation, “We were interested about the early history of Garreg Mach. Lady Edelgard is most interested in ancient history, myself as well.” He said, “And not standard history. We can read about those anywhere. Any … interesting _folklore_ perhaps?”

“Uhm…” Byleth looked at them again. “I don’t think … I’m not the best person to talk to about this stuff… but, we have some folklore that everyone knows about, I guess.”

“Please, tell us.” Hubert continued. Yes, please do.

Byleth scratched the back of her head, “Well. There’s the mermaid’s lagoon in the south by the piers…” Her eyes went skyward as she tried to think, “The secret of the dragon’s head. They say that a dragon is sleeping underneath Garreg Mach just waiting to wake up from it’s slumber and devour us all.”

Hubert shook his head, “No, no. I mean. _Local_. Native to this area.”

“Yes. Northern folklore.” Edelgard continued.

Flayn looked up from her phone and turned to Byleth, “What about the stories of the Nabatea, Byleth? Why don’t you tell them about that?”

“Nabatea?” Edelgard asked.

It’s… a child’s fairy tale, really.” Byleth shrugged, “They said there was this old civilization that used to live in this area and they were _magical._ Descended from the goddess Sothis herself.”

Edelgard nodded. Oh? Now they were getting somewhere. “Please, go on.”

Flayn laughed, “Yeah! And now Sothis lives at Byleth’s house!”

Byleth sighed as Flayn was looking through her phone for something, “Please, Flayn, they don’t need to see—”

“No, no. She’s really cute.” Flayn leaned over the table and shoved her phone in Edelgard’s face. Edelgard was staring back at a … dog. A really tiny, fluffy dog, “See! It’s Sothis!”

“She’s my dog.” Byleth said as she waved Flayn's hand away, “Anyway… the story goes that some war wiped out the Nabateans a really long time ago. But that some of them remained and melded in with the ancient human civilization of Garreg Mach.”

“And what of those people?” Hubert asked.

Byleth shrugged, “I can’t say much else. It’s a child’s fairytale.”

Flayn huffed at Byleth and turned to Edelgard, “There’s more to the story than that.” She continued, “You’re forgetting the best part.”

“And what is that?” Edelgard asked.

“They _say_ that those born with green hair in Garreg Mach carry the blood of the goddess herself.” Flayn played with her curly pigtails, “Like _me_.”

“It’s hair dye.” Byleth corrected her and smiled when Flayn pushed at her shoulder to be quiet, “But, she’s right. It’s a rarity, but it does happen. They say those who carry the blood of the goddess… have certain abilities. But, it's not real. They're just regular old people like the rest of us. Like I said, it’s a fairytale.”

“Well, I believe in it.” Flayn said. “The Eyes of Seiros are real. Father said so himself. He used to be a priest of the Church of Seiros before he started his farm when I was born. He said it’s _real_.”

There it was. Someone _knew_ about it. Edelgard leaned forward, “…Eyes of Seiros?”

Flayn nodded in encouragement. “Yes. It’s a gift of clairvoyance. Some people claim that people with the gift can see ghosts or sense things in the air that normal humans can’t.” Flayn continued. “The _truly_ blessed can change the course of history itself. See the past, the future, and all the timelines that spawn from within.”

“Could such a thing possibly exist?”

“It’s a fairytale.” Byleth repeated for what seemed to be the third time, “Sometimes, in the newspapers, you’ll see someone claiming Seiros came to them and allowed them to create some type of miracle or something equally crazy, but, it’s always proven false.”

“Still. The possibility is there.” Hubert mused. He cast a sideways glance toward Edelgard. They would speak of this later.

“Wouldn’t such a power come at a cost?” Edelgard asked Flayn.

Flayn shrugged, “I suppose. Someone could use it for nefarious deeds. But every action you take always comes at a cost.”

 _What was that supposed to mean_? Edelgard took another sip from her teacup and found that it was empty. She glanced up at the clock and then back at Byleth, “Either way, thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. I am always curious to hear the mythos of world’s unlike my own.”

Byleth shrugged, “Sure.”

Flayn waved her phone at Byleth and tugged at her sleeve, “Hey, father's back home! Can we go back now?”

Byleth nodded to her and then turned back to Edelgard and Hubert, “Sorry for having to cut this conversation short, but I have to take her back home now. Did you … want to speak later?”

Edelgard shook her head, “Oh, no. I’ve taken enough of your time for the night. Please, go and continue with your business. I think we will relax here for a little while longer.”

Byleth nodded and said her goodbyes to both Hubert and Edelgard. Flayn waved to the two of them as well and went about talking Byleth’s ear off about something or other. Probably about fish again. When they had left the café for good, Hubert rested an elbow on the table and raised a curious eyebrow in Edelgard’s direction.

“Nabateans? Eyes of Seiros? Green hair? Where do I start?”

“It all sounds like absolute lunacy.” Edelgard had to laugh herself, “But you saw that child just now.”

“She surely believed in its validity.” Hubert remarked.

“Children always do.”

Hubert sipped the last of his coffee, “And what of you, Edelgard? Did you ever believe in fairytales as a child?”

Did she? She smiled somberly as her gaze descended to the empty teacup in front of her, “Yes. I did."

"And what was that?"

"...For awhile, my family’s happiness was the greatest fairytale of them all.”

* * *

_I remember the smell of something burning._

_I wake up on the floor of the bathroom. Which bathroom? Where was I? Why did my head hurt so much? I’m too little, I can’t see anything in all of this darkness. It was dark and everything was so scary._

_That ... was there a fire in the house? That burning smell ... that was a fire and it was so close to me that I could feel the heat against my small hands as I pushed desperately against the door. I started crying. My pushing turned to banging on the door of the bathroom for someone to let me out. I tried the handle again, the door wouldn’t open. Please. Let someone find me. I’m trapped in here and I don’t know where my father is. Please let someone hear my pitiful wails of desperation._

_I wish. I wish someone would help me. It’s hot and I can’t breathe. I’m not large enough, not big enough. Why won’t the handle turn no matter how many times I pull at it? And why is there so much water in the tub? It’s overflowing and won’t stop. I rush over to the bath tub to try and turn the handle, but it’s stuck, too. Just like the handle on the door. I can’t turn it off, I’m too little. I’m not strong enough._

_Why are so many people screaming? My lord, my lord. Who is screaming? I hear the wails of children in the background. I try screaming again but no one can hear me over the roar of the crimson flames that burn so hotly outside this door. I’m going to die here, aren’t I?_

_My stomach hurts. What did ... who did this to us? Why would anyone do this to my family? My father ... where is my father? I want to go back to an earlier time when we were all together and happy. Earlier today, what were we doing earlier today? Who was I with? All I can remember is my father and being held in his warm embrace on that beach. I turn back to the bathtub and scream again. The water is flowing over the tub and it won’t stop. Please, I don’t want to die._

_I step up onto the toilet bowl and pull my legs to my chest. Everything hurts so much and I’m so scared. Why hasn’t anyone come to help me? Please, I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I look up at the window hanging over the overflowing bathtub and think, for a moment, maybe I can get that open._

_The edge of the bathtub is slippery and I fall face first into a tub full of bath water. Coughing and sputtering, I try and pull myself together. My heartbeat is in my ears. I don’t want to die. The window is locked as well. There has to be something I can try and break it with. Please, anything. The screams beyond that door are growing louder and I’m terrified. I don’t want to hear them anymore, I want to get out of here. I want to see my father. I want my father._

_I realize that the valves on the bathtub are broken. That’s why I couldn’t turn the water off before. It’s still running and I’m still submerged in the murky mess. My feet barely touch the bottom of the tub as I try and keep myself afloat. Why is everything so big? Why am I so little? So helpless? I pull at the window again and it still doesn’t budge. I try and pull myself up out of the water and onto the ledge. It takes some effort and I slip a bit, but I manage to get my upper body on the ledge. I start pounding at the window, pushing against the latch with all of my might until it snaps._

_I tumble through the window and straight into the warmth of the summer night. I realize now that I was in one of the second story bathrooms that faced the back of my father's propert. I hit the ground hard and I think I’ve broken something. I manage to roll over in the grass of the backyard and stare up into the sky. Above me, my fathers house looms... a tremendous and haunting image. A monster from one of my nightmares. Everything is engulfed in flames and it looks as though the sky might catch fire as well._

_In the distance, I can hear the muffled screams of everyone ... children ... but the fire drowns them out._

_Father ...where are you?_

* * *

Edelgard opens her eyes before the sun reaches her room. Silently, unfazed, she sits up in her bed and gazes at the curtains on the floor to ceiling windows on the other end of the room. Today was the day they were going to go. To the old house, her fathers house. Figures she would have that dream again. She had to constantly remind herself, she will never be that little—that _helpless_ —again.

She throws the sheets back and pulls her legs up to her chest. She now knows that the dream... is not a dream. It’s a memory. One that she had repressed for how many years? For how long, she hasn’t the faintest idea. The first five years of her life are gone to her, probably a result of the trauma. But, what remains of her memories, she doesn’t doubt. She’s known about the fire at her father’s old estate in Garreg Mach. How it killed her ten siblings and some of her father’s staff. How she was the only one that survived that night. The mystery is not what happened. What eludes her is the following, _who_ did it? She wasn’t taking the excuse of an accident as the truth. Too many things didn’t add up.

The resurfacing of this one memory in particular is what drove her breakdown to begin with. It was the reason Volkhard sent her away for three months, secluded from the world under the guise of needing rest. But, she had recovered from her catatonic state and resumed the mantel of her former self. No, that wasn’t right. She was stronger now. This was her new self. Hubert has remained at her side through all of her psychosis and when she asked him to help her in this endeavor, to return to Garreg Mach and unearth the truth, he was all to willing to oblige. For he, too, had his own questions about certain... things.

Rubbing her head, she flops back in her pillows and stares at the ceiling. Ten brothers and sisters, lost to her for so many years. It’s why she yearned so badly for Dimitri’s companionship at time. He wouldn’t understand, he didn’t have brothers and sisters .... he has ... an Edelgard. A stepsister, no blood relation whatsoever. It didn’t matter that their parents had been married for close to twenty years, would he ever truly consider her to be family? She wanted to... she would never vocalize it to anyone, but she did. _Just how lonely are you, Miss von Hresvelg?_

She takes a bath that morning to start anew. Edelgard stares at herself in the mirror and wonders if she’s truly ready for this? She pulls her hair away from her face and looks at the way that stress has aged her beyond her young twenty-four years. They said her hair went white from the sheer stress of the event. Maybe it was genetic, her hair used to be brown before this. Either way, she didn’t care.

She dresses herself in her another standard ensemble of a red blouse and a white flowing skirt that almost hides her feet from view, her hair is fastened into a ponytail that cascades over her shoulder. She leaves her room, searching for signs of life within the house. Surely, if nobody else, Hubert is awake. He’s in the kitchen drinking his customary cup of black coffee. A tea cup with a bergamot teabag lies in wait for her on the counter next to him.

“Good morning.” He greets her, “Have you slept well?”

Edelgard pours hot water into the cup and sits down at the kitchen island, “As well as I can considering where we’re going today.” She looked up at Hubert, “We’re not going to take the driver today. As paranoid as it may sound, I don’t want my mother to know everything we’re getting up to out here.”

“A fair assessment of the current situation, I have no qualms about your decision. And yet...” Hubert took a sip of coffee and gestures toward her, “How do you suppose we will get up there?”

“As much as it pains me so... I was looking at the public transportation system of this island.” Edelgard replied, “There is a bus that runs along the eastern part of the north that will leave us fairly close to where father’s estate once was.”

“Public transpiration, Edelgard?”

“Do you see any other way?”

“Why do we not ask Lambert if we could borrow one of this cars for the day?” Hubert proposed, “I do possess driver's license.”

Edelgard shook her head. Maybe she _was_ being paranoid, but she didn’t wish to risk it. “Forgive me for being paranoid, but I do not wish anyone to know where we are going.” What if his cars had GPS tracking? What if he questioned her about where they were going? Why didn’t they just take the town car? There were too many questions that she did not wish to acknowledge right now. She gestured around them, “Even if where we are is a secluded area, word does travel. I would prefer us to go with the public transportation route. I think it will be inconspicuous enough, there’s barely anyone up in these mountains.”

“As you wish.” Hubert replied, “We will have to walk quite a bit in this heat. Are you prepared for that?”

“I will be fine.” Edelgard remarked as she sipped the last of her tea, “Are you ready?”

“Always.”

They left the house under the guise of going to spend another day at the beach. They were going to walk around for a bit and explore the neighborhood, see what else caught their eye. Patricia, seemingly only giving her daughter half her attention, waved them off and told them to have a good time. They descended the driveway, out of the steel iron gates and walked off down the street in the direction of the bus stop.

Edelgard dabbed at her eyebrow with her handkerchief, it was _hot_ even with her parasol blocking the sun’s rays. Thankfully, the rickety old bus that would lead them further up north arrived and was air-conditioned. Who would have thought? They paid their fare—Edelgard had learned her lesson from the first time and actually had brought money with her—and took a seat far in the back of the bus with Hubert. The two of them didn’t speak on the journey up, it would take them about an hour to get there if Edelgard had done her math right.

She turned her attention to staring out the window for most of the ride. She had forgotten just how beautiful Garreg Mach was. Crystal clear beach water that glittered in rich hues of bright blue from the sunlight. Sprawling canopies of bright verdant green ascended in a haphazard manner up the mountains that they drove through. It was as if the earth had it’s own plan that humans were not privy too. And the flowers—the _flowers_ that grew on this island. The vibrant reds of the hibiscus, the soft and romantic hues of blue and pink hydrangea… and the colorful butterflies that never stopped fluttering around the foliage. Perhaps, if she wasn’t destined to return to Enbarr, this could be her home.

Edelgard glanced at Hubert for a second and saw that he was nodding off. Odd for him, he was always so alert when she was in his presence. Maybe this trip had taken more out of him than he cared to admit. She had asked a lot of him… she always did. Another person to be indebted to. He cleared his throat and opened his eyes to meet hers, clearly feeling her sharp lavender eyes pointed in his direction.

“Is there a matter that needs solving?” She could hear the sleepiness in his voice.

Edelgard shook her head, “No, please. Rest, Hubert.”

He nodded in response and closed his eyes again. Edelgard turned her attention back out the window to watch the world fly by and waited patiently for them to arrive at their destination.

* * *

Hubert hadn’t been lying about that walk up to the old von Hresvelg manor and for a second, Edelgard was regretting both her choice in transportation and footwear for the day. She abhorred the thought of sneakers; perhaps she could invest in a more secure walking sandal when they returned to town. This was awful, but she wasn’t going to complain.

Hubert seemed to be having no problem ascending into the mountains as they were, keeping watch for snakes or whatever other creatures might have been in their current path. He occasionally stopped up the path every now and then so Edelgard could catch up, “How are you doing?”

Edelgard paused to catch her breath, she was getting redder by the minute, “I’m … fine.” Maybe she really _did_ need to stop smoking those cigarettes.

Hubert reached into the book bag he had brought with them and reached into the side pocket for the water he had brought for Edelgard, “Please. Take a moment to catch your breath and drink.”

Edelgard graciously accepted it from him and dabbed at her face again with her handkerchief, which was basically covered in sweat at this point, “How much further do you think we have to go? Why is there so much overgrowth here?”

“I’m surmising after your father’s passing that your uncle never kept this place up to any kind of standard. Ionius never utilized this place after ... well, what happened.” Hubert mused as he glanced up at the canopy of trees that surrounded them, “Besides, we are going off the beaten path with this one. We haven’t even hit a driveway yet.”

Edelgard looked around her and blanched at the idea of sitting on any of the moss-covered rocks that littered the path. Curse her earlier stupidity for wearing white of all colors today, “Back when father was the Governor of Enbarr, he valued his privacy the most. Honestly if you didn’t know where the house was or what you were looking for, it was almost impossible to find.”

“And yet here we are searching for a needle in a haystack.” Hubert muttered to himself.

“I will not be deterred.” Edelgard handed the water bottle back to him and hiked her skirt up a bit more around her legs, “Let us be off.”

They continued on their trek through the mountains, taking breaks when Edelgard needed it. After what seemed like hours—really, only half—they finally hit a clearing, which brought them out onto a potholed, paved over path. The path was covered in weeds and the grass that grew around them almost dwarfed Edelgard in size.

Hubert turned around to survey their surroundings and only turned back around when he heard a small shriek coming from Edelgard’s way. Probably a bug of some sort latching on to her skirt. High society women and their impractical clothing. Behind them the road stretched toward a rusted over gate with a giant red sign and yellow tape covering its entrance. Edelgard opened her parasol as they were out in the open and exposed to the sun again and made her way over to the red sign to see what it said.

“Do not enter. This property has been condemned by the authority of the Garreg Mach North Urban Planning and Commissioning Committee. No trespassing. Violators will be persecuted…” Dauntlessly, Edelgard turned back to Hubert and walked back up the path to where he was waiting for her, “Come, let us see what awaits us.”

“You do not fear persecution?” Was Hubert trying to make a joke?

Edelgard ignored his comment and pressed forward, “I’ve been persecuted enough. What could the law do to me whilst I stand upon my own property?” She replied. “Being back here is strange. Everything felt so much larger back then…”

“You were a child.”

“Well, yes. And as an adult I am no taller.” Edelgard remarked. Hubert didn’t reply but she thought she heard him stifled a laugh behind her. She was quiet as she listened to the crunching of rocks under her sandals and Hubert’s boots. What was she supposed to feel when they finally arrived at the house?

They stopped short of another gate that was even more imposing than the first. On the front of it was a rusted over chain with a heavy industrial lock over it’s front. She looked up, somewhat prepared to ask Hubert to give her a lift over the top of the gate. However that plan wasn’t going to work unless she was willing to impale herself on the spikes that were erected all along the gate and it’s wall. In the distance she could see it. The old von Hresvelg manor. Her father’s only form of solace away from all the distractions and political strife of his last few years on this Earth.

“Step aside.” Hubert said to her as he caught her staring wistfully at the spikes on top of the gate.

“What are you going to do?” Edelgard asked.

Hubert swung the book bag back around and dropped it to the floor. Edelgard couldn’t find it in herself to be startled when Hubert pulled out what looked to be industrial grade bolt cutters. It had been years since she’d been surprised by some of the things Hubert had done. This man had gone to the ends of the Earth for her and then some. Hubert set the bolt cutters on the rusted chain and clamped down as hard as he could. It took some adjusting, but finally the chain and lock clattered to floor in a jangled mess and the gate creaked open a bit. _Welcome back, Lady Edelgard._

“Well, after you.” Hubert gestured toward the slightly ajar gate.

“And just where did you find those, Hubert?”

“I borrowed them from Lambert for the day. He just doesn’t know about it.” Hubert replied as he followed Edelgard through the gate and readjusted his bookbag.

“How duplicitous. Sometimes I wonder who you were in another life Hubert. If you possessed the same fortitude and tenacity as you do with me.” Edelgard commented mirthfully.

“I dare say I hope so.” Hubert answered her.

They walked along the path that led up to the mansion. Edelgard remembered how grand it had been in its former glory, now as dilapidated and melancholic as its previous owner. What a sight to behold after all these years. The gardens seemed unsalvageable. She remembered the how tenderly and meticulously the former groundskeeper had cared for the azaleas and iris flowers that bloomed all over. The kanhi zakura trees were rotting and dropping in every which way. The cicadas, an all too familiar sound of the summertime, were also missing.

Her eyes combed over the mansion and spotted the chipping in the brickwork, boards over most of the windows, and window shutters that were covered in soot and grim. Edelgard didn't believe in ghosts, but she felt like they were watching her right now. How it would break her father’s heart if he were to see the shape of this place now.

“Shall we proceed?” Edelgard asked.

“With caution.” Hubert rationed as he pulled on a pair of leather gloves, “If you may, I would like to go ahead of you. There’s no telling how structurally sound this place will be after all these years.”

“By all means.” Edelgard followed closely behind him as they advanced to the front doors and Hubert tried to open them. It didn’t budge. Edelgard peered out from behind him, “As much as I hate to suggest this, perhaps going through the front isn’t the best idea. We might have to break something else to get through.”

“That was my next idea.”

He descended the steps in search of something in the grass. A rock, how classic. Hubert walked along the porch looking for the nearest window that wasn’t boarded up. Edelgard followed quietly and quickly behind him. Their best bet was a side window that seemed to lead into the old servant’s quarters. Edelgard stood back as Hubert lobbed the rock as hard as he could at the window and it shattered.

Edelgard flinched at the sound and had to steel herself for a moment. Her eyes drifted up to the second floor and remembered her own memory of breaking a window to _leave_ this place. Standing on the tips of his toes, Hubert reached his arm into the broken window and unlatched it from the other side so he could push it all the way open. He entered first and Edelgard waited patiently for him outside.

He disappeared from view for a moment and then poked his head back outside to help Edelgard inside. Gripping her arms firmly, he lifted her up in one fell swoop and held onto her bridal style, before gently setting her down. He hooked her parasol onto one of the straps of his bag and gestured for her to do as she pleased. This was her show and he was just the other supporting lead.

Edelgard took in the dust ridden and soot covered room. The servant’s quarters were close to the kitchen… and dining room, which means that the fire had traveled further than she thought. But, no, this place held no interest for her. It was just a starting point. She motioned for Hubert to follow her, stepping over fallen light fixtures and broken furniture. They made their way into the kitchen and she nearly choked at the smell of the room. The rafters above were completely exposed and everything was black. Taking a step back, a rat scuttled across her way and she screamed. Accursed, vermin.

Hubert caught her before she tumbled into him and squeezed her shoulders. _Calm down, Edelgard_. She grabbed at her hands to suppress her fear and swallowed through the thick feeling in her throat. The door to the kitchen was closed and she feared that they would have to find another way around the house, but it was unlocked.

Next, the dining room. Black. Same as the rooms before it. She didn’t want to look at that table and think of her ten siblings screaming in agony from the pain of that night, when they should have been enjoying another meal together. She closed her eyes and turned away from it, Hubert understood and closely followed her into the next room.

The stairway leading up to the second floor was completely folded in. They would have to find another way up. “Hubert, are fires really capable of causing this much damage, structurally?” Edelgard questioned as they stood before the broken down stairwell.

“It depends on what the house is made out of.” He replied, “I do not think that this stairwell is where your suspicions lie…”

“I have read the police reports.” Edelgard reminded him, “They say the fire started in the dining room. One of the curtains caught on fire and engulfed the whole room. I mean. That is what they propose.” She turned around to look at the front door of the house, “And yet… what is most baffling is that the fire had consumed _half_ of the room before anyone called for help. My eldest siblings were in their teens back then. How could they have not noticed?”

“Any other theories?”

“That only the youngest were eating at that time and that my older siblings were elsewhere in the house and came here to find them. But that theory also makes little sense, as they would have had a nanny or other caretaker with them.” Edelgard remarked, “If that were the case, why couldn’t they escape?” She turned around and gestured toward the door they had just walked through, “The dining room door was partially ajar when the response team finally got here. …Did they try to leave? What happened?”

“What of the servants?”

“All of them. Dead. Locked in the servants quarters.” Edelgard said, “That note was omitted from public record. Another theory postulated by the police. They think some of my younger siblings were trying to play a trick on them. They often messed around with the maids and caretakers more than they should have… but they were children. They didn’t know any better.” She gestured toward the dining room, “The cook was found charred and burned to death in front of the kitchen door. That one should be easy to figure out... but again, I don’t believe it’s quite so simple.”

“Why is that?”

“He was found with a wound to the back of the head that no one has been able to explain for all this time. No defensive wounds either, no sign of a struggle.”

“What else do you remember from that night, Edelgard?” Hubert prodded, as he wanted her to keep thinking.

“I want to get to the second floor of the house before I begin to consider other possibilities.” Edelgard replied, “There’s two places of interest that we must visit. First. The second floor bathroom all the way on the back of the west side. …And my father’s room. …There’s something I’m hoping is still stored there that I want.”

“Then let us be off.”

“I think we might be able to get to the second floor through the music room in the back. There’s a stairwell leading up to the second floor in the hallway there. If not, we can try the service stairwell in the servant’s quarters. …It might be a little dated, but I think we should be all right.”

Hubert nodded as if he had no qualms with her reasoning and they set off for the back of the house. More rats and filth littered the way and Edelgard had to reign in her disgust for her own sake. The grand piano that sat in the center of the music room was covered with cobwebs and Edelgard felt her heart aching again at the thought of a distant memory. One of her older sisters fighting their brothers for a chance to sit down at the piano and play for their father after dinner… make him happy… and proud. Would he be proud of what she was doing now?

They pushed through and found the stairwell that Edelgard had been talking about. Hubert took the lead to test the soundness of the stairs and then motioned for her to follow him when he saw no threat coming to them by advancing. The second floor smelled as musty and old as the first, but retained a bit more of how the house used to look in happier times. It was darker up here, but the light that came in through the cracks of the stained glass windows was sufficient enough for them to find their way.

“The bathroom is at the end of the hall.” She stated.

“Is that the one where…” Hubert trailed off, knowing her to understand his question before he even broached it.

“The one I was confined to, yes.” They stopped just outside the bathroom and Edelgard placed her hand on the knob, turned it, and opened the door. “I woke up inside of this bathroom with no recollection of how I got here. I remember my head hurt … and my stomach was killing me. I could feel the heat of the fire outside the door… so maybe it was closer than I realized.” Her gaze lifted to the window in front of her. It had been shuttered from her previous exploits during the fire, “I screamed… shouted… no one came…”

“Edelgard.”

She shook her head to knock herself out of the reveries of the past; “They found me in the backyard. I had a concussion and a broken leg…” She muttered, “…Did they not find it odd that I was not with the rest of my siblings?”

“Why do you think that happened?”

“They were murdered.” Edelgard replied, “You know that. And I’m going to find out who did it. And I’m going to find out _why_. Why was the response time before the fire starting and someone calling for help so delayed? Why was the door ajar in the dining room and yet, none of my siblings escaped? Why was I confined to this bathroom? Why was I alone?”

“Who else was staying in the house during the time of the fire?” Hubert questioned.

“What do you mean?” Edelgard asked as she stepped out of the bathroom and gestured for Hubert to follow her. They were going to her father’s room.

“Your father and stepmother were here of course. Was any other family staying with you at the time of the fire?”

“My uncle and his wife, Cornelia.” Edelgard replied, “My uncle was my father’s chief administrations officer at the time that he was still the governor. But all of them had gone out to dinner that night while they left us home alone.”

“So then it would be the perfect time for anyone to come to the house and do as they pleased. Namely, killing the children of the Governor of Enbarr.”

“And what ever other hapless soul was in this place.”

“The political situation of Enbarr at that time was precarious. So many scandals, so many politicians seeking to come for your father’s head.”

“He was trying to do good for Enbarr. He made a lot of enemies during that time… getting rid of those who were corrupt and seeking to do more harm than good.” Edelgard said, “Or perhaps they saw it differently. Maybe _he_ was the one who was doing the harm and they saw this … destroying my family … as the good.”

They stopped in front of two heavy oak doors and Edelgard pushed against one. When it didn’t budge, Hubert added his own force to the door and they stumbled through into her father’s chambers. Hubert stayed at the entrance while Edelgard advanced toward the center of the room, “What are we looking for in here?” He questioned.

“A picture.” Edelgard replied, “And I can only pray that time has protected it in our absence.”

“What of?” Hubert watched her walk to one side of the room, picking up old and dusty frames from one of the dressers.

Edelgard shook her head when she didn’t find what she was looking for, turned around and walked to the other side. She paused in front of a rather dusty and elaborate dark wooden desk. There it was. She picked up a picture protected in a dark, jade frame. “This.”

Hubert walked over to where Edelgard was standing and peered at the picture in hand, “You.”

“Yes. Me. And my siblings.”

She wiped away the grime from the frame and held it in both of her hands. It was an old black and white photo of her and her siblings posing in front of the house. They had taken it in the beginning of that summer. Her siblings looked to be just as jovial as she was. She could try and remember what her younger self was like. Happy? Carefree? Edelgard popped the back of the frame and pulled the picture free from its confinements. She turned to Hubert who carefully tucked it away in his book bag for safekeeping.

“What now?” Hubert asked as they stood in the darkness of her father’s old room.

“I was hoping… perhaps this place would jog my memory a bit if I were to see it again, but I can’t think of anything.” Edelgard bemoaned as she sat down on the thick comforter of her father’s bed, “I thought if I saw that bathroom again… saw that dining room… something, _anything_ , would come. But my mind is as blank as an empty canvass.” She looked up at Hubert, “Why can’t I remember?”

“Trauma. Your mind is protecting you from something you don’t wish to know.”

“I already had my breakdown.” Edelgard said, “I’m here because I’m willing to know now. Who _killed_ them, Hubert? Why would someone do this?”

Hubert sighed, pushing a balled hand up against his fist, “What of your legend? Have you forgotten that?”

Edelgard chuckled, “Are you talking about the Eyes of Seiros?” She shouldn't have been laughing. She was so desperate to know the truth about her past that she was willing to look for a mythical old children’s fairytale to help her. Maybe she really was still insane. 

“Do you remember what that young child said at the café last night? That Flayn?” Hubert said, “She said its real. Anyone who possesses that power is sure to be able to enlighten you about your past.”

“You believe in a child’s folly now?” Edelgard asked.

“I believe in you, don’t I?” Hubert replied.

“Point taken.” Edelgard stroked at her chin, “I guess this was just part of the process. In order to solve this mystery we’re going to have to find someone who knows more about that old tale. I guess we’ll be talking to the locals again pretty soon… we should probably check in again with Lysithea again, too”

Hubert shrugged, “If that is all… shall we leave this place?”

“Yes. I think I’ve had enough time with the ghosts of the past.”

Edelgard rose from the bed and brushed her skirt off. Hubert turned around, leading the way out of the room with the intent on leaving this old mansion behind them. They had done all they could for the day. Edelgard paused for a moment as she watched Hubert’s fading figure. She turned back to survey her father’s room once more and felt compelled to bow her head in silence for a moment.

 _I’m sorry… I’m trying to make this right. Please, believe me._

Hubert called to her again, already halfway down the hallway. She was coming.


	5. Désolé

Smoke and Mirrors

**V: Désolé**

* * *

Byleth awoke to the sound of Sothis’ disgruntled growling.

Her bleary eyes struggled to stay open as the growling turned into snarling and barking now. If that dog didn’t stop. Sunday was her only free day and she _wanted_ to sleep. She sat up and tried to hush the dog. Jeralt wouldn’t want to hear this barking either. Sothis turned to her, wagging her fluffy tail to and fro. What in the world had gotten her so riled up?

“Do you have to pee?” She asked. Sothis began whining this time. Maybe she had to pee. She sighed and opened the door to her bedroom and expected the dog to follow her, but it just stayed rooted to the spot. “What? Are you hungry?”

Sothis ran past her at that point and down the hallway. Something was glowing at the end of the darkness. It was probably Jeralt, he had fallen asleep again with the television on. Byleth followed the disturbed dog and found Sothis growling again, this time at the front door. That was odd, where had the glowing gone? Maybe she was so sleep deprived, her mind was playing tricks on her. Her sleep crusted eyes glanced wearily at the clock on the microwave. It was _2AM_. She didn’t have time for this tonight.

She checked Sothis’ food bowl and found it to be empty so she filled it up. “Sothis.” She called to the dog, but that didn’t work. Maybe she had to pee? Or maybe she was just being an old and senile … dog. Sothis was over fifteen years old at this point. Maybe she was losing her mind.

Byleth approached the front door and pointed at it, “Outside? Potty outside?” Sothis’ growling only intensified. She started barking again. Okay, potty outside.

Byleth opened the door and the dog took off into the night, yapping as she ran across the beach. This is exactly what she needed at 2AM. Her dog, running around, and barking at absolutely nothing. Byleth shuffled her feet into a pair of her sandals and closed the door behind her as she followed the dog onto the beach and listened for the sounds of her waning barking. She shuffled her tired feet across the uneven terrain of the beach, quietly listening for where Sothis had gone. Gazing up at the sky, she noted the full moon. Weird things always happened during these sorts of nights, didn’t they?

Byleth grabbed her arms as a slight chill came to her body. It was oddly … cold tonight. Sothis’ barking was growing closer, like it was focused on one specific spot. There was an odd glow coming from the rock formation she was headed for. Probably just fireflies, it was summertime after all. She was only worried when she heard Sothis’ squeak pitifully and the barking stopped. Quickly, she rounded the corner to find out what happened and she felt like she was paralyzed on the spot.

There was a woman there that she … kind of recognized? Sothis was currently sprawled on the sand, her head down and her eyes closed. What had happened to her dog? The woman turned to look at her. She had a … glow to her. Vibrant green eyes, strange green hair that cascaded over her pale shoulders. She wore all white with a long blue robe draped over her shoulders. Her feet were bare. Normal, they were on a beach after all … but this woman wasn’t. This woman _terrified_ her for some reason.

“Byleth.” She spoke, softly and ethereally, “My sweet, Byleth.”

Oh, God. Not this _shit_ again. Byleth closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She’s not real, she’s not real, she’s not real. What you’re seeing is a figment of your imagination. Remember that they’re not real. They can’t hurt you. They can’t do anything to you. She can’t touch you. She’ll go away if you want her to. She’s. Not. Real. Byleth dared to open her eyes again and the woman was walking toward her. Fuck. She couldn’t move.

“I haven’t seen you since you were a child… you’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman.” She turned to look at Sothis, “Such a faithful little protector you have. You should have heeded her warning in your room tonight. She longs to keep you away from me… but. You don’t need to worry about that anymore.”

Byleth tried to move, “You’re not real.”

“I am, my darling.”

“You’re _not_ real.” Byleth inhaled again.

She was walking toward her now, almost like she was gliding on the sand. “I am. Your father has kept me away from you for so long. It hasn’t been right. You should be with us. Be with your family…” She paused a few inches away from Byleth, “… But I’m here now. And soon you will be with your mother, Sitri, as it was intended for you to be. It’s not right for you to keep such a sacred space for your own.”

Please move. The pale woman placed a hand on her face and she felt like she was about to hyperventilate. Byleth was trembling now. Please, _feet_ , move. Was this what Jeralt had warned her about? _Ghosts_? Not real, not real, not—

Her hand moved across Byleth’s face and brushed over her eyes, which Byleth had shut again out of fear, “…Such beautiful eyes. As they were when you were a child. How I longed to have them for my own. How I longed—“

The woman’s next words were drowned out by Sothis’ barking. **Move.** ** _Move, you idiot_** **!** The fear in Byleth’s heart had been washed out by the adrenaline that was meant to save her life. She pulled away from this woman… this _ghost_ , and set off back across the beach. Running for dear life. Sothis’ barking seemed to follow in her stead until she got back to the house. She clutched at her chest as Sothis ran in after her and she slammed the door shut behind her and bolted it. Sothis’ barking rolled back to its usual growling and she stayed firmly rooted to her spot in front of the door.

Byleth’s legs gave way and she nearly collapsed on the floor of the living room after her heart had returned to its normal pace of beating. She heard thumping coming from down the hallway and nearly screamed when her father came into view. _Please._ No more ghosts for the night.

“What the hell are you doing in here, kid?!” Jeralt asked, taking a moment to take in his daughter’s hysterical state and the dog growling at the door.

“I saw …” Byleth’s chest heaved from exertion, “I … I saw something out there.”

“What? _What_?” Jeralt turned on the light in the center of the room, “What in the world is going on here?”

“Ghosts.” Byleth panted, “There was a ghost.”

Jeralt paused to take in the state of his daughter who had now bowed her head forward into her knees. He walked toward the door and gazed out of the peephole. There was nothing there, yet the tiny dog at his feet was still growling. He checked again and thought he saw a fading figure of green and white. _Rhea_. He cursed silently and knelt down beside Byleth, “What did you see?”

Byleth shook her head, as if she were unable to speak.

“ _Byleth_.” Jeralt shook her shoulder again, “What did you _see_?”

“A woman in white.” Byleth stumbled out. “Green hair. Green eyes.”

That was all the confirmation he needed. “I’m keeping you home for awhile.” Jeralt said as he tried to help his daughter to her feet. It was odd to have her leaning on him for once, “You need to rest. Come on, I got ya.”

Her legs felt like lead and she felt drained of every ounce of energy she once possessed. Is this what it felt like when she had had to help her father into bed all those times during his drunken blackouts? He pushed open the door to her room and helped her back into bed. Drawing the covers over her adult form made him think of what things used to be like when she was a child. Always running into his room and telling him what she saw. _Dead people_. They aren’t real, Byleth. Go back to sleep.

“What was that?” Byleth asked, as she pressed herself back into her pillow, wanting to draw the covers completely over her head like she was a child again.

“Remember what I used to say when you were a child? Those things that you used to see?” Jeralt asked her, “They’re not real, they can’t hurt you.”

“ _That_ ,” Byleth croaked, “was _real.”_

“Keep the dog near you. She’s there for a reason. If she starts growling you don’t _leave_ this room. Do you hear me?” Jeralt commanded and Byleth wondered if he too had lost his mind.

“What?” Did she really have any room to question him?

“I said _stay_ here.” Jeralt moved away from her bedside, “Close your eyes. Sleep.”

He backed away out of the room and closed the door behind him. Byleth looked down at Sothis in the darkness and saw that the dog’s growling had receded. She hopped back up on Byleth’s bed to resume her sleeping position at Byleth’s feet. Byleth pulled the sheets up over her head and took another deep breath. It had been a _long_ time since she had had one of these episodes. She closed her eyes as her father had requested and tried to put the thoughts to rest and get back to sleep.

She thought she smelled the scent of sage wafting into the air.

* * *

Edelgard waltzed her way into the farmer’s market, bright and early on Monday morning, intent on finding her new fisherman … woman …friend? No, they weren’t friends. They were acquaintances. What was she thinking? Friends. She didn’t have _friends_. Either way... maybe she could make this woman, this Byleth, into a friend? (She could hope).

However, her heels clicked to a dejected noisy stop and she felt a slight raise in irrational ire. When she reached Byleth’s usual stall, she found that she wasn’t there. That girl, Flayn, however, was there that morning. She looked busy as she moved crates around on the shelves of her stall and began loading them with those mangoes that she was always talking about. Edelgard looked from Flayn’s stall and then toward Byleth’s again and frowned. Where was she? Didn’t she say to get here early in order to get the best of her wares? Had she been lying and messing with her? What a terrible saleswoman.

“Are you looking for Byleth?” Flayn asked, catching sight of the rude parasol wielding lady from the other day.

“Yes. I came early as per her recommendation, but it appears as if she isn’t here.” Edelgard replied, “Where is she?”

Flayn’s expression faltered a bit and she looked sad, “I’m not sure. She’s not here today and I haven’t heard anything from any of the other sellers.” The teenager continued, “Maybe she took the morning off? Father always does say she works too much for her own good...”

“Do you have any idea where else I might be able to find her?”

“Maybe you can catch her down at the cafe? I know she works there on Monday... she usually starts her shift there in the evening.” Flayn shrugged, “I can’t promise she’ll be there though. It’s strange, really. Byleth never misses a morning at the market... I wonder if she’s sick.”

Oh, maybe she had judged her too soon. Edelgard apologized to no one but the air for jumping to conclusions. Thanking the girl for her information, Edelgard returned to Hubert who was currently eyeing a stall filled with … daggers. This man, she swore. “Back so soon?”

“The mango loving child said Byleth’s not here today.” Edelgard replied, “A bout of sickness, perhaps?”

“What do you propose we do today then?” Hubert asked. He picked up one of the daggers on display and ran his finger along its edge. He was creeping out the sales person for sure.

“Let us retire back home for the time being. We can go to the cafe later to see if she is there.” Edelgard huffed, “It will not do to look like a pair of stalkers waiting around all day for someone who might not even come.”

“Dully noted.” He handed over some money for the dagger and pocketed his purchase, “Let us be off.”

“Did you really need that, Hubert?”

Hubert merely turned to her and cracked one of his customary eerie smiles, “You can never be too cautious these days, Edelgard.”

* * *

Claude blinked. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing right now.

Ah. The vampire that could walk in daylight and the ex-politician’s socially disinclined and unhinged daughter. Why were they lurking outside of his family’s cafe like two stalkers?

He wiped down the counter as he checked the clock. **5PM**. They were waiting for Byleth, weren’t they? Had she felt safe enough to tell these two weirdos her work schedule? How unlike her. He thought the neighborhood’s most ostracized saint was smarter than that. Or not, Byleth always did have a hard time trying to read the intentions of people... or their characters for that matter.

Well, surprise, they had made the trip into town for nothing. Jeralt has called in earlier today. _Byleth won’t be in today, I’m sorry Claude. She’s not feeling too hot._ He sipped at his coffee and kept his green eyes honed in on the weirdos. It was uncharacteristic of Byleth not to come in. He couldn’t remember a time where she had missed a day of work in the ten years that she had been working at his family’s place. Hell, she had probably covered more of Claude’s shifts if anything.

What could have been wrong? Sick? Byleth didn’t get sick. Mental health day? Maybe. Not like he knew what was going on in that head of hers half the time anyway. Maybe ... women’s ... problems? Nope, _nope,_ he wasn’t even going to go there. Overhead, Gorillaz’s _Pac-Man_ played out over the speakers. Claude chuckled over 2-D’s mumbling of— _nostressinout,nostressinout,nostressinout—_ right on. No stressing out over what didn’t concern him.

The door to the cafe opened and Bernadetta shrieked from surprise. Felix rolled his eyes and had to lunge to catch the coffee cup she almost broke. Claude ignored his two employees in favor of turning his attention to the royal ensemble of oddballs that had finally entered the cafe. Edelgard handed her parasol off to her vampire knight—really that girl walked around everywhere with that thing. Claude couldn’t fault her, she was as pale as the freaking moon. Probably burned easy, too. She advanced toward the cash register and Claude instantly went into business mode.

“Welcome. What can I get ya?”

Edelgard cleared her throat, “Yes, good evening ....” Her eyes lowered to his name tag, “Claude. I was ... looking for someone if that is all right.”

Claude couldn’t tell if her over formality was just a byproduct of her upbringing or an act at that point. But, hey, at least she was polite .... in her own eccentric way. “Really? And who might that be?”

“Is ... is Byleth available?” Edelgard asked.

“Sorry, she’s not here tonight. Probably at home takin’ it easy.” Claude replied, “You need something?”

Edelgard instantly shook her head, “No. No, that is all right. Could you ... if she comes in or you see her, could you tell her that Edelgard stopped by? I was hoping she could tell me more about the folklore of the area.” Was there a hint of desperation in her voice?

Claude raised a scrutinizing eyebrow. Folklore, huh? “Yeah, sure. I got ya.” He replied.

“Thank you, Claude.” She looked up at the board overhead, “On second thought, may I order something?”

Claude snapped at his two idiot employees who were currently arguing—really, it was more like Felix was lecturing and Bernadetta trying to hide from him—and turned his attention back to Edelgard, “What can I get for you?”

“An acerola frappuccino, please.” She looked at Mr. Vampire and held up her finger, “Make that two.”

* * *

“Edelgard, why I appreciate your tenacity, I do not think this is a good idea.” Hubert reprimanded as he and Edelgard currently made their way across the beach in the warmth of the evening sun.

“Nonsense, Hubert. If she is sick, it would do well to bring some type of sustenance to her and ensure that she nourishes herself.” Edelgard was not going to be deterred.

“You wish to speak more with her, I understand, but this can wait.” Hubert looked down at the red bundle he was carrying, filled with homemade soup and medication that Edelgard had _made_ him purchase, “This technically counts as trespassing if they are not expecting us. Edelgard, you _barely_ know this woman.”

Edelgard stopped to turn around and face Hubert, “She has been kind to me since we’ve consistently shown up and disrupted her day on multiple occasions.” She countered, “I’m sorry if I want to do something nice for someone for a change. Hubert, I don’t get to do this often. Please. Indulge me. Just this once.” Was she pouting? How pitiful.

“I have indulged you for far more and will continue to do so, you know that, Edelgard.” He sighed, if she wanted to do it, it would be so, “Fine, let us continue. But brevity will be our trump. Please keep this short.”

He thought he saw a smile on her face as she turned back around and led them back along the beach path, “Thank you, I will be brief. I promise.”

They bounded up the stairs of Byleth’s house and both stared at each other for a moment. Edelgard took a deep breath and then leaned forward to knock on the door. No response. Hubert nodded toward her to try again. Knock knock, the sound of shuffling. Then things went quiet again.

“Maybe she’s not home.”

Edelgard glanced at the red car parked next to the house, “Her car is here.”

“Maybe she went for a walk?”

“She’s here.” Edelgard turned back to the door and was about to knock again when it opened up.

A large man with graying blonde hair and a stern look stood in front of them. He looked at Hubert first, grimaced and then turned to Edelgard and his expression softened slightly, “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I was wondering if we could trouble you for just a minute, sir.” Edelgard began, but the stern man shut her down before she could even explain herself.

“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying. Try somewhere else.” He waved his hand in dismal and was about to close the door when Edelgard stuck her parasol in the door to stop him. It made a sickening crack in the door. Oh, bad move, Edelgard.

“Please, sir, we mean no disrespect or harm. My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg and this is Hubert.” She was getting to be desperate. Maybe the stress of yesterday was finally taking its toll on her, “I am merely looking for Byleth. I ... I am ...” She couldn’t find the words.

“I don’t care _who_ you are or what you’re looking for. My daughter isn’t here. Try somewhere else.” He looked down at the parasol caught in the middle of the door and grimaced, “Now remove this damn umbrella of yours before I break it.”

Before she could respond, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind the door. The man turned away from the woman currently trying to force her way into _his_ house and muttered something to the voice who had addressed him. The door opened up again and Edelgard sighed in relief. There she was. The saint. Byleth.

She looked ... tired. Dark circles around her usually vibrant blue eyes. But she still regarded Edelgard with that same reserved smile, “What are you doing here?”

“We heard you were sick.” Edelgard immediately said, “I’m sorry. Perhaps it was rude of us to intrude. I ... I brought you some soup and medication.”

Hubert, sensing that Edelgard was beyond flustered at this point, stepped in between the two women and held up the red bundle he had been holding this entire time, “We came to market this morning to purchase some fish for dinner, but you weren’t there.” He continued, “The young woman, Flayn, told us to try the cafe this evening but you weren’t there either.”

“We spoke with Claude, the young man at the cafe, but he said you weren’t feeling well.” Edelgard finally found her wits again, “I apologize again, this is quite rude of us when you barely know us. But you have been so kind to me since I’ve been here that, I...”

Byleth glanced at her father and nodded to him. It was all right. They weren’t going to hurt her. Jeralt muttered something under his breath and disappeared down the hallway. She accepted the bundle from Hubert, “Is there something you needed from me?”

“I wished to talk more about Garreg Mach folklore.” Edelgard replied, “But, you are unwell. I must admit it was selfish of me to have looked for you all day to impose my wishes on you.”

Byleth smiled again. This woman was so strange. “It’s okay. I’m all right.”

Sothis came to the door at that moment to see what the commotion was all about. She looked up at Edelgard with giant, brown eyes and started panting. A happy bark escaped her mouth and she jumped up onto Edelgard’s leg in greeting.

“O...oh, hello.” Edelgard let out a squeak of surprise, but hesitantly bent down to pet the dog on the head. “This is ... Sothis right?”

“Looks like she’s taken a liking to you.” Byleth said and watched the dog turn her attention to Hubert. Her tail stopped wagging, she cocked her head and then sneezed in his direction. Satisfied with her assessment of the situation, she hopped back up the stairs, through the door and disappeared, “Looks like she approves. Cleared for entry, I guess.”

“We really shouldn’t.” Edelgard shook her head, “We’ve already caused enough trouble for you and your father ... perhaps, another time?”

Byleth shrugged, “Yeah, he’s a little tightly wound right now.” She held up the bundle, “If you wanted to talk, I should be at the cafe tomorrow morning. Come by then, okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” Edelgard was relaxed now.

“I thank you as well.” Hubert chimes in, “And do enjoy the soup and rest easy.”

Byleth waved and closed the door behind her. Edelgard and Hubert both descended the steps together and began to walk along the beach.

“Well, that wasn’t too disastrous.”

“If he had snapped your parasol, we might have had a homicide on our hands.” Hubert muttered and Edelgard had stopped to stare at him, “I jest. Mostly.”

“We were the ones that intruded.” Edelgard reminded him, “I am just glad to see that she’s okay. Come, Hubert. That’s enough excitement for today. Let us return home.”

He was all too happy to oblige.

* * *

“ _In news today, Those Who Slither In The Dark have appeared to recant their most recent display of belligerence. In a statement delivered to the world this evening, they claimed they weren’t the ones who sent that warning to the von Hresvelg Corporation. Apparently a rogue agent seeking to besmirch their name....”_

They had returned to Lambert’s mansion and were currently holed up in Edelgard’s room perusing the news on her laptop. With a cup of hot coffee in his hands, Hubert leaned forward and sipped in interest. Rogue agents? Besmirching? How odd. Edelgard scrolled past the video that continued to run on the page and her eyes scanned the article for anything that piqued her interest.

“Perhaps we should call Lysithea?” She turned over her shoulder to look at Hubert, “I wonder if she’s seen this.”

“Of course she has.” Hubert replied, “Do you know how many pies she has her fingers dipped into right now?”

“…I don’t think that’s quite how that expression goes.” Edelgard leaned over to pull Hubert’s phone from the side of the computer. “I’m going to call her.”

“Be my guest.” Hubert reclined and tipped his cup up to his mouth, “We should tell her what we found as well.”

Edelgard held the phone up to her ear as Hubert went and sat in a chair next to the desk. It rang for one second before it clicked and a young female’s voice came from the other end.

“You know you shouldn’t call me from this number.”

“Yes, hello, Lysithea.” What a greeting. “Are you alone?”

“Am I ever? Hang up, I’m going to call you back.” The line went dead and two seconds later, an unregistered number popped up on Hubert’s phone. Edelgard picked it up, “Now. This is better.”

“I appreciate your discretion that I sometimes lack. I apologize.” Edelgard nodded.

“Your apology is accepted.” She heard typing coming from the other end. Lysithea must have been on the computer again, “Well, I’m waiting.”

“Yes, right.” Edelgard nodded, “I wanted to speak with you about what we’ve found here.”

“I’m listening.” A pause, then more typing.

Edelgard stood up and began pacing through the room, “Which would you like to hear of first? My fairytale? Or my father’s old manor?”

“Let’s start with the manor. I have some new intel regarding that, so it might be good to make sure we’re on the same page. What did you find?”

“Nothing that really helps my current questions.” Edelgard replied, “We canvassed the parts of the house that we’re destroyed by the fire and didn’t find much beyond what I already know. The gaps in time, the chef in the kitchen … the doors that shouldn’t have been opened or locked. The bathroom…”

“Hm.” Lysithea replied, “Did you get your picture?”

“Yes, I did.” Edelgard said.

“Good.” Lysithea cleared her throat, “I did some digging in the old archives. Wasn’t easy. The encryption was ridiculous. Whoever stored that stuff away really doesn’t want anyone knowing the truth.”

“I thought that was obvious.” Edelgard snapped, “Why else do you think I would come here and risk my life like this?”

“Risking your life is … pretty dramatic.” She could feel Lysithea rolling her eyes on the other end, “But your journey is my own as well.”

“Yes, I know.” Edelgard sat down on her bed, “What have you found?”

“Ah, yes. My little bit of information.” Clicking, murmuring under her breath about something, “You remember the information about your father’s servants? How they were found dead, too?”

“Yes. Please, go on.”

“Well, here’s an interesting little tidbit.” Lysithea coughed, “There was one that survived.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened, “What do you mean?”

“Looks like… there was a man that they found alive. An, _Ethan_? That ring any bells?” Lysithea asked. “Can’t really find anything on where he might be now. It’s almost as if he was erased from existence.”

Edelgard pressed a frustrated hand to the bridge of her nose, “Lysithea, you already know that my memory is foggy when it comes to the events of that night. My father had so many servants and staff rotations that I couldn’t remember their faces most of the time.”

“Yeah, well. Anyway. Looks like this guy got beat up pretty bad on the night of the fire. Doesn’t say what his job was.” Lysithea took a sip of her coffee, “Smoke inhalation… smack to the side of the head. They found him tied up along with the rest of the servants, but he was the only one that made it. There's a statement in here, though. He says he was attacked by someone and when he woke up, the _fire was already raging_. Imagine that. Sounds suspicious to you?”

“I mean, the whole thing is suspicious.” Edelgard murmured, “You already know that. I can imagine they protected that bit about the servants from the public because the events were already tragic enough.”

“ _Or_ , someone paid to have it omitted from the record.” Lysithea proposed.

“But, why?” Edelgard was tired of all of these questions, “To protect the identity of the dead? The newspapers were rife of the death of my siblings and my valiant escape as the soul survivor. Who would care that much about the identities of a bunch of servants reaching the public?”

“Someone that wanted to destroy your father but _also_ protect their own ass in the process.” Lysithea answered, “At any rate. About your fairytale, the only thing I found that might help you out is near the southern part of the island. Something about the monastery and an old record they might have stored there. Sothis? Possibly records of her descendants. ”

“Oh, about that. We spoke with some of the locals.” Edelgard said, “Seems as if people know of its existence… but there seem to be few believers.”

“Got any names for me?” Lysithea asked, clacking away again.

“What do you mean?”

“Whom did you speak with?” Lysithea sighed, exasperated with Edelgard’s seemingly dim question, “Give me their names.”

“Oh. Byleth. And a Flayn.” Edelgard replied, “As for your previous tip, why in the world did you send us to that café in the first place?”

“It’s the most popular café on the northern tip of the island. Figured you could have spoken with someone and I could start collecting names to compile a dossier.” Lysithea’s tone took on the same level of exasperation. Honestly, was that so hard to deduce? “I’m working with what you’re giving me here.”

“I know. And as always, Hubert and I thank you for your assistance. I am truly in your debt…” Edelgard bowed her head; “I hope… that in the process of figuring out things with my family that you can do your father a service of justice as well.”

“Yeah, this isn’t about my family. It’s about yours.” Lysithea replied, “I have my own things to figure out.”

“Oh. One last thing.” Edelgard said as she walked back over to her laptop, “Those Who Slither In The Dark. Have you seen the news recently?”

“Yeah. It’s common with these vigilante groups. Someone’s always trying to find their fifteen minutes of fame.” Lysithea shrugged, “I wouldn’t read into it too much.”

“At any rate, that is all. We will be in contact soon.”

“Take care of yourself. Be careful as always.” Lysithea yawned, “Tell Hubert I said to mind his manner around those island folk.”

“I think he’s trying.” Edelgard smiled softly, “Be well, Lysithea.”

“See ya.”

Edelgard placed Hubert’s phone on her desk and he looked up at her as if to silently ask her to enlighten him on what she had just learned. She sighed and went back to scrolling through her laptop, “Some new information regarding the fire. Lysithea said there was another person that survived. A man by the name of Ethan. She couldn’t really garner where he might have went, but still. There was another survivor in the fire… how suspicious that no one knew of that information.”

“What a brilliant hacker you’ve acquired for the cause.” A devious smile unfurled on Hubert’s face, “However, back to the matter at hand. That is quite suspicious indeed. But what are we to do with that information if she can’t tell us where he is right now?”

“If only my uncle knew.” Edelgard muttered. “I digress, we can only file it away for now and hope that it comes back to help us later.”

“I suppose so.” Hubert nodded, “What else?”

“We shall have to make a trip to the monastery and search for an old record kept within its halls. Something about the descendants of Sothis.” Edelgard replied.

“Sounds … risky.” Hubert mused, “Surely, something like that would be kept private, hidden from the view of the public?”

“We have to try.” Edelgard remarked as she closed her laptop, “It’s getting late.”

Hubert eyed the clock and nodded, “Shall we retire for the night?”

“Yes, lets. We have to go speak with Byleth at the café tomorrow. I want to be prompt.” Edelgard said as she rose from her chair and stretched her arms up over her head.

“Quite the bit to think about.” Hubert grabbed his cup and stood up. “I bid you goodnight. Sleep well, Edelgard.”

“You, too, Hubert.” She replied as he excused himself and exited her room.

Edelgard sighed as she fell back over onto her bed. This was getting to be exhausting, but she would have to persevere. She didn’t come to Garreg Mach to fail; there would be no excuse for that.

She reached behind her and pulled her pillow into her arms. Fishing around in the pillowcase, she pulled out what she was searching for and looked at it for a minute. The picture from her father’s room. She glanced back at her door and then walked back over to her desk to search for a marker. Her hand traced the smiling faces of her siblings, one by one, the sheer longing she felt to be with them again. It took her a minute, but she set the picture down, and with some minor trepidation, she set to work.

She was ready to play with fire; it was time to send the first hit.


End file.
